Negai ga kanau
by Cyn V
Summary: Wishes and dreams are different. Naruto knows that his wishes will never come true, but what about his dreams? He can only hope. - Abused Naruto, living Minato and Kushina.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Naruto _is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. No profits are being made here. Jiro and any other characters/items you don't recognise from canon belong to Soul-Kit524._

**Cyn's Notes****:** _The first seven chapters were originally written by Soul-Kit524. I'll be making some changes to them, according to her indications, that will greatly influence the story later on, but I'll try to keep to the original as much as possible for now. My fics are usually very different, so I hope that I'm able to do justice to Soul-Kit524's original fic and that everyone who was following it before will continue to find it interesting now. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy! :)_

**Soul-Kit524's Notes:** _Hello Readers! If you are reading this then that means you have stuck with me through this FF! THANKS! This story is broadly the same situation and idea but has many differences. For instance Arashi no longer exists, and Naruto has a special object plus he will be going as Sora. He still has a partner but I decided to change species, mostly because someone offered a character idea and I lurrrrved it so look out for the new character. Plot holes have been filled but Naruto (Sora) will still be smarter then in the original canon. So enjoy the rewrite I like it ten times better than the original. And if you're wondering what the front of Naruto's necklace looks like here's a link: www. blingdomofgod. com/entryimages/unity_medallion_wedding. jpg By the way there is no correlation with Kingdom Hearts._

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**Negai ga kanau**_  
Wishes do come true_

_'Loneliness is a disease without a cure,  
It drags you in with a tempting lure.  
Promises of hope, love, and salvation,  
When in reality emptiness is its creation.'  
- Soul-Kit524_

**Chapter I.**

I looked towards the kitchen from my hiding spot behind the wall, to check if there was anyone nearby to see me leave the house. Nervous, I put a hand over the medallion resting under my shirt. It was one of my most prized possessions and feeling the cool metal against my skin never failed to reassure me. I hoped I would not run into my father.

I say that title with as much malice as possible; Jiro was anything but a father. In fact, I would go so far as to say the man was an even greater monster than me. Even though I looked like a human, Jiro said I was a demon (and it must be true, because Jiro was always right).

Maybe I should be more grateful to him. After all, he did contribute to my birth and he let me stay in his house. I wish I could have met my mother, though. Maybe she would have been nice and loved me.

It was only wishful thinking, though... I had been born on the night the Kyuubi attacked and that was why my father called me a demon. He also said that my mother had taken one look at my brown-haired, blue-eyed face and promised that if I ever got within arms' reach of her again, she would kill me. I think the birthmarks on my cheeks were what made her not want me, or maybe she just wanted a kid who looked different. I didn't know - all I had left was my silver medallion with its strange writing on the back that I couldn't understand. I'd had it for as long as I could remember, so I was convinced it must have been a gift from her.

No use dwelling on the past, however. Now that I thought about it, she probably would have hated me more than Father.

I kept my mouth shut about such thoughts and made sure that Jiro never saw the pendant. He never liked it when I asked questions and if he ever found out I had the thing, I would probably be in big trouble - not just the usual bruises and scratches, more along the lines of broken bones. I had always healed fast, but a broken arm still took a few days to recover and it was hard to make excuses all the time to concerned people.

I wondered if they would be as concerned if they knew the truth. Nobody would care about a demon, after all.

The kitchen seemed clear and, in the dim light that made it past the boarded windows, the small living room looked empty as well. I decided to take a chance and quickly shuffled towards the front door, trying not to trip over my pants. They were three sizes too big and I had to hold them up if I thought about running.

As I reached for the rusted door knob, I froze and clutched my medallion, my grip so tight my knuckles turned white. Anyone watching would think I was about to have a heart attack, and I was suddenly so terrified that it might not have been far from the truth. The tingly feeling I got when something bad was about to happen was spreading throughout my body.

I winced as a burst of pain erupted at the back of my head. I stood praying that this was the extent of my punishment for the morning.

"Get the hell out, you worthless demon!"

I flinched as Jiro spat out the insult with as much venom as he could muster. It hurt more than any physical blow. Physical scars could heal over time, but emotional scars never went away. They embedded themselves into your very soul and scratched at your brain until you began to believe that the lies were true. Every hurtful phrase, every demeaning word.

I didn't turn towards him. I would not let him see the fear in my eyes, although I'm sure he already knew I was scared. I had been ever since I could remember and probably always would be.

I quickly twisted the handle and jumped out. I did not stop running until I reached the front gate. From there, I looked back at the small apartment complex with a sigh. This grey, run-down building was not a home. At least, I didn't think it was. A home was supposed to be a loving place, wasn't it? I hoped so, otherwise my only wish would never come true, but I suppose we demons didn't really get to have wishes.

It sucks being a demon, or at least that's what I believed in. According to Jiro, I always had to obey people - humans, I mean. So, whenever I was allowed out of the house to go to the Academy, I always had to follow orders. Always. No matter what.

I think Jiro would actually kill me if he found out I hadn't.

My life was as horrible as you can imagine, but I did not wish to die. I was positive I was worthless, he had made that much clear, but in order to try to convince him otherwise, I tried my hardest at the Academy. I was not very good at it, though, so he still beat and starved me as much as he could.

Now, I knew my wishes wouldn't ever come true, but dreams, dreams are realities you have to work for. I hoped that one day I would become a strong enough shinobi to impress Jiro, so he'd love me like a real father. All I wanted was to be loved... And if I became strong enough, maybe I could accomplish my dream: to be as strong as the Fourth Hokage. That would surely impress Father!

The Fourth was the strongest shinobi that ever lived in Konoha. He saved the village countless times, but his biggest feat by far was sealing the Nine-tailed Fox inside his son, putting his own life on the line. His son had disappeared afterwards, never to be found, but the Fourth had miraculously survived. I felt bad about what had happened to his son. We even shared the same birthday, so I bet we could have been friends... Except, I wasn't allowed to make friends with other kids so it wouldn't matter if he had lived anyway.

I walked to the Academy with my face down so I wouldn't look anyone in the eye. Jiro said I had the most disgusting eye colour he had ever seen and since I didn't want people to hate me as much as Jiro, I did my best to make sure I never made eye contact with anyone. It was safer that way.

As I made my way through the bustling streets of Konoha, I approached the Academy. Walking through the gates with my head down, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary... until I walked straight into someone.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** _I was completely blown away by the response to the first chapter... Thank you all! I hope you continue to enjoy!  
_

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_'All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.'  
- Walt Disney_

**Chapter II.**

I fell back with an "oof!" but two strong arms caught me in a gentle embrace before I could hit the ground and kept me from getting hurt. It was a strange feeling, to say the least. Jiro never touched me like this; it was always a slap or a kick with him. I didn't even notice my eyes had closed and I knew the smartest thing to do in that situation was to not look up. Being the stupid demon that I am, though, I did just that.

"Hey, kiddo. Are you alright?" the man asked me.

I was too shocked to do anything but stare at him. He had blond hair and blue eyes and wore an unmistakeable white jacket; he was the Fourth Hokage. I regained my senses and quickly jumped away from him. I did not deserve to be caught - I was the one who had ran into him, so he should have let me fall. It was the least I deserved.

"I-I-I a-am sorr-sorry, sir." I bowed and tried to move around him, my eyes now trained on the ground as a demon's should.

A hand suddenly landed on my shoulder and I flinched. I supposed I should have been used to it; all the punishments Jiro put me through should have taught me to stay still and take it. He always hit harder if I cried out or flinched. The Fourth removed his hand, probably preparing to strike me where I stood. I braced myself for the blow but it never came. Instead, the hand landed on the top of my head and ruffled my hair. I winced slightly as his hand brushed against my most recent wound.

"No need to worry, kiddo. I shouldn't have blocked the entryway."

I could not help myself then and shyly looked up from behind my brown bangs to see that he was smiling down at me. Wow. That was weird. My head interrupted the moment, though, as it started pounding and my vision began to swim. I should leave; Jiro must have hit me harder than I had originally thought.

"Yes-sir..." He chuckled as I answered. Taking advantage of his distraction, I tried to stumble away before the black dots in my vision forced me into unconsciousness, but to no avail, for once again my hero placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You don't have to answer like that to me, kid. I won't bite, I promise," he said with mirth in his voice.

I smiled slightly. He really was a nice guy. Even though he could have killed me in a split second, I strangely felt comfortable around this person. I had never felt comfortable around people, only Kohana, but she wasn't a person.

I'd met her one day Jiro had kicked me out of the house, which was not such a rare occurrence...

_I couldn't have been more than six years-old and Father had been extremely angry that I had dropped his dinner. I hadn't meant to, but I'd tripped over my pants because of their size and the bowl had fallen onto the ground with a clang. Almost immediately, I was pushed to the ground, my arm in his grip. I was dragged towards the fire and, for an agonizing few seconds, my arm had been thrust into the flames._

_After what felt like an eternity, he threw me to the side. I felt my skin blister and throb, but dared not look. I raised my head and Father had to have seen the fear in my eyes as I clutched my injured arm to my chest. He had looked down, disgust evident in his expression._

_"Get the fuck out, you little shit, and don't come back tonight!" he snarled and turned on his heel to leave. I shakily stood up and walked out as he had told me, heading for the one place I felt safe._

_Even then, I knew I had deserved the punishment; I had wasted the food Father had worked so hard to get. I knew I would not be allowed to eat again for a long time, but none of those thoughts would soothe my tummy which had just let out a displeased growl. Pushing the brown hair out of my face, I sniffled into my sleeve, trying to not sob out loud. My other arm was still hurting so much, it was making me dizzy._

_I eventually found a spot where I could rest at the park. I did my best to wipe my face with my good arm, to get rid of the blurring tears and made my way into a big hollow on one of the trees, a natural shelter built into its roots, so I would be out of sight. I did not want to bother any of the humans who might pass by. I crept inside and curled down against the old wood. My eyes closed briefly and, before I knew it, I was asleep._

_A few hours later, I woke up to the sound of rustling leaves. I looked around alarmed at what could possibly be making such a racket but did not see anything. I pulled my knees close to my chest and, using my good hand, tightly clutched my silver medallion for comfort. From the many painful experiences I'd had in the past, I knew that if it was a person out there I would get hurt. Every time daddy had his friends over, I ended up with a broken bone or worse. That had been a very important lesson learned at an early age: never trust a human._

_I looked through the darkness without a problem and my eyes zeroed in on a medium crimson red heap that seemed to be shifting. Working up all my courage, I crawled out of the hollow towards the source; I stopped once I was about three feet away._

_"Are you okay?" I asked uncertainly. My six-year-old self had no idea what to do. Whenever I cried, it was because I was bleeding or sad; from the scent, there was no blood, so maybe the creature was sad. With that thought in mind, I turned around to pick a small white flower and held it towards the no longer whimpering animal._

_"Have a fwower, it's wittle just like me and you."_

_The creature lifted its head; its fur was burnt orange, and its eyes were emerald green. It stood up and I could also see that its ears and tail were tipped in white. It was a fox. Looking at it more closely, I noticed that there was a small white flower-like shape on the fur on its chest._

_I set the flower on the ground and took a few steps back, just in case. The creature stepped towards the flower and sniffed it cautiously while I sat down and watched its little black nose twitching._

_"I bet you has a pwetty name..." I said._

_"I don't have a name," said a childish feminine voice. My eyes widened; I had no idea foxes could talk!_

_"Eveybody has gots to has a name," I frowned._

_The fox blinked up curiously like it was having a hard time understanding my words, and whimpered, "I don't have one."_

_I looked at her for a minute. "How about Kohana?" I asked, shaking my head in triumph._

_"Why that name?" she wondered, looking straight at my eyes._

_"'Cause! You're wittle and has a fwower on your chest!" I said with a foxy smile._

_The fox smiled too. "I like it. What's your name?"_

_"Well, daddy call me demon, but I don' like it very much." I frowned._

_"I don't think that's a good name either. How about, since you named me, I name you?" Kohana asked shyly._

_"Mm'kays you can do that!" I said, excited. This was the first time I had ever talked with anyone else and finally getting a better name would be great._

_"How about Sora?" she asked nervously, "because your eyes are so blue they remind me of the sky."_

_"Thanks you Kohana, I likes it!" I cheered, smiling at my new friend. I moved to push myself up with my arms, but cried out in pain as my injured arm protested. The burns began to bleed and I clutched it to my chest, tears silently falling from my face._

_"Sora, let me see your arm." The tiny fox had come closer and was staring intently at my injury. I sniffled slightly and held it out for her to see. "What happened?"_

_"Da-daddy got m-mad whe-whens I dropped the f-food." I sobbed, wiping my face with my other arm._

_"Your sire shouldn't have done this! He is supposed to protect his young," Kohana growled. She put her nose on the injured appendage and closed her eyes tight, concentration radiating off her small form._

_Suddenly, her emerald eyes opened and they were glowing a fluorescent green. The burns on my arms began to fade, until they were scabbed over. My medallion began to glow lightly too and the rest of the scabs disappeared. I was used to the disappearing part, that always happened, but the boo-boos still hurt even though I could not see them. With Kohana's help, though, that wasn't happening. It was amazing!_

_"Wha' was t'at?" I asked as soon as her eyes were back to normal._

_"My kitsune ability. I can heal most wounds through my connection with nature." Glancing around, I could see that dozens of flowers and vines had bloomed in the dirt around the trees and in the cracks on the pavement._

_"T'at's cool," I said, looking at the flowers on the ground with a smile. I really wanted a friend and, while Jiro had said I couldn't talk to humans, he had never said anything about foxes. Looking back at the small hollow in the tree, I asked her, "you wanna come in?"_

_She stood up and followed me through the small opening. From that day forward, a beautiful and unbreakable bond was formed. Maybe demons could have good times too._

I usually met up with Kohana at that same park. I did not want to think about what might happen to her if Jiro ever found out we were friends, so I never brought her anywhere he might see her. I wished she was with me today, though. It was easier to act around people when she was around.

I sighed and looked up at the Hokage.

"Yes, Hokage, sir." I tried once again to walk around him but his hand held me in place.

I closed my eyes as another wave of pain rippled through my head. Then suddenly the pain was gone and it was replaced by a soothing and cooling sensation. I looked up to see the Fourth's other hand, glowing green, on the side of my head.

"How did that happen?" the blonde Hokage asked, serious.

"I fell, sir," I said without hesitation. This was one of the stories I had on back up file. I had millions of excuses running through my head, but this was the one that came out of my mouth this time.

"Oh, really? Doing what exactly?" He was starting to look suspicious and the fact he still hadn't let go of me was making me even more nervous.

"Training," I said simply as if it explained everything.

"Well..." At that point, the bell rang for class to begin and I yanked my arm out of the Fourth's grasp.

"Thank you for fixing my wound, sir. I have to go now." I scurried off before the man could say another word.

I entered Iruka-sensei's classroom quickly, hoping to go by unnoticed. With my head towards the ground I made my way to the very back of the classroom. As I sat down and took my messenger bag off my shoulder, I was spoken to.

"Cutting it close, aren't we, Mister Herupu?" Iruka-sensei said.

"I'm sorry, sir," I said pretending not to notice the snickers from the students all around me.

"Yes, well, try not to do it again," he said kindly. I nodded and tried to sink into my seat and disappear.

The physical part of being a ninja came easily to me; I was like a fish to water, I guess. I was interested in everything that was related to ninjas, whether it be a jutsu or a story about a past Hokage. I did fairly well in class too, considering I had nothing better to do than study and practice, but there I was not as good. Being in the same room as Iruka-sensei and the other kids for long hours always left me nervous.

Jiro always said that if I was going to continue to disgrace the world with my presence, I might as well be useful. What he didn't know was that, in spite of everything, I wanted to be a ninja. Honestly, it was better this way.

The day went on uneventfully from there and soon the time of the day I hated most had come around again: the time to go home. I trudged as slowly as I could to the house, but still reached it much more quickly than I would have liked. I reached the front door to Jiro's apartment and opened it slowly.

I stepped in and closed the door silently, glancing in every direction trying to see which way Father would come from. I was pretty sure this was his favourite part of the day. After he lost his ability to use chakra, he spent most of the day at home, getting paid in welfare checks, and since this was a prestigious village, he lived comfortably. Me, on the other hand, I would usually get the trash he didn't want. All my clothes were huge on me. I was sure he did this on purpose. I was the shortest person in my class, probably because I only get fed once every other day. My closet-sized bedroom consisted of a thin mattress with an even thinner blanket on top. No pillow. The only good part about my bedroom was the window.

I felt the hair on my neck stand up just like it had that morning, right before I was knocked to the ground.

"Afternoon, Demon," said Jiro with a spiteful hiss.

He grabbed my hair and I winced at the sharp pain. I was rewarded with a punch to the stomach. I kept in any sounds and let him do as he pleased, as I curled into foetal position. Jiro continued to kick me until he was out of breath, then grabbed my hair and brought me to eye level.

"You stupid little fuck," he snarled. "I heard you were talking to the Hokage today. What the hell gave you the right to be in the presence of that man, let alone talk to him?"

I didn't answer, hoping that this would be over soon so I could go in my room and get some sleep. Nothing I said would make a difference anyway.

"I guess you're too stupid to answer. Am I right, you little bastard? I thought so. If I ever hear about this happening again, I'll make tonight seem like child's play."

At that point, he threw me to the ground and kicked me in the ribs. I kept my face controlled and didn't let out a single sound as I heard the familiar sound of a cracked rib.

"Get the hell out of my sight! No food for two more days," he said sadistically.

I stood up instantly, ignoring the pain until I got all the way upstairs. I opened my door, stepped into my room and lay carefully on the "bed". With a sigh, I closed my eyes.

I tried to sigh, but it came out as a choked sob. My body hurt too much.

I couldn't do this any more; I needed to get away from this place. I closed my eyes, hoping things would get better and wishing that Kohana could have been there with me. She could always make me feel better, no matter what.

Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

___'Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.'  
_- Maria Robinson

**Chapter III.**

I woke up extra early the next morning. My ribs were mostly healed but extremely tender and they weren't letting me sleep. I got up and dressed right away.

I always tried to get out of the house without being seen or heard, but had only succeeded in doing this a handful of times. I peeked around the wall of my bedroom and silently made my way through the living room. I got to the kitchen without any problems and grabbed the door handle. I turned it quickly and shot outside.

I guessed Jiro had gone out, or maybe he was still sleeping. I didn't really care either way, I just wanted to go to the park to see my best friend before I had to go to school.

"Kohana..." I whispered once I got there, knowing she would hear me. I heard a slight shuffle and looked up towards the top of a nearby tree. I was in time to see a streak of orange-red fur quickly running my way down the tree trunk.

"Hey, Sora!" Kohana greeted. She was happy to see me, but she must have been able to tell that something was wrong because she looked at me with worry in her eyes. "Are you all right?"

"Not really... Father got really mad yesterday because of something I did..."

I tried to touch my ribs, hoping they had miraculously healed during the short walk to the park, only to wince as I discovered that they still hurt. Kohana made to speak then, but I knew what she would say and there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't leave my father - after all, who would want to give home to a demon?

"Don't start, Kohana. I know. You don't have to give me another speech about telling someone..." At that point, she cut me off.

"Look, we have been through this together for five years. This is not going to get any better and you know it! I hate seeing you hurt like this! I would have told the whole world by now if I could," she hissed. These were the times I was glad I was the only one who could understand her.

"I know, I know, but there's nothing we can do," I said sadly, placing one of my hands on her head gently.

"It hurts, to see you like this and not being able to do anything about it," she said, her green eyes misting over with unshed salty tears.

I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into my lap, holding back my own tears for her sake.

"Things have to be bad before they can get better," I told her while snuggling her to my chest, "and we are definitely in the market for some better things." Around Kohana I felt Normal, even if it was just pretend.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she sighed sadly.

I placed her down and checked the time. I definitely had to leave for the Academy.

"Why was Jiro so mad yesterday?" Kohana asked before I could say goodbye.

"I ran into the Fourth yesterday." My eyes dulled as I thought back to what had happened when I had come home.

"Really? _The _Fourth?" she asked excitedly.

"Yea, but Jiro told me that if I ever spoke to him again, he'd make yesterday seem like child's play," I said unhappily.

"Asshole. But what is the Fourth like? Is he nice? And why can't you talk to him?" the little red fox wanted to know.

I smiled slightly. "Yep, he really is nice. But Jiro says demons are not allowed to be in his presence let alone talk to him," I said and, just as if a switch had been flipped, Kohana went from happy to angry.

"What a PRICK! If anyone is a demon it's that man," Kohana huffed slightly. She looked at me harshly, as if reading my mind. "You are not a demon," the fox said fiercely. Each time she told me this, I started to think it was a little more true.

"I know," I said, "agreeing" with her. She scoffed at my obvious lie and I figured it was time to go. "I have to go to school now. I'll see you later?"

"I'm coming with you!" she surprised me by saying, before jumping into my bag and making herself comfortable next to my scrolls.

"What are you doing?" I panicked. "I can't take you with me!"

"Why not?" she shot back, defiant. I was about to reply when I realized how concerned she was. Besides, it would be nice to have a friend around for a change. I'd had an awful day and an awful night; the company would be welcome.

"Well, I guess you can come, but you have to make sure no one sees you!" No sooner had the words left my mouth, she was nodding happily and burrowing further into the bag.

I bent down to grab my bag and hissed when a shot of pain ran through me. I carefully adjusted the straps so the weight would fall on my left and started on my way. I was really glad Kohana only weighed seven pounds or this would have created a problem.

"Today is gonna be a good day!" I heard Kohana's muffled voice. I smiled at her optimism, but could not shake the feeling that things were going to take a turn for the worse.

We made our way to the school grounds, but as the entrance to the Academy became visible, I noticed a familiar head of yellow hair standing in the doorway, seemingly waiting for someone.

"Holy shit," I whispered.

Behind me, Kohana shifted until her head was peeking out from under my arm, unnoticed. "Oh my god, is that the Fourth? He looks like he's waiting for someone."

I began to walk closer to the crowd just in case he was looking our way.

"You think he's waiting for us?" I asked the fox.

"I doubt it... and he would be waiting for you, not us. But just to be on the safe side, go through the back. I don't want to know what would happen to you tonight if Jiro thinks yesterday was child's play," she said with a shiver.

I agreed, so I made my way to the back of the Academy. I slipped in through the unlocked doors and made it to Iruka-sensei's empty classroom without a problem.

As I took my seat at the back, Kohana climbed out of the bag and curled up on the floor under my desk. A few minutes later, kids started showing up, so I pulled out my notebook and began to doodle. Eventually, Iruka showed up and quieted the class down.

"Good morning, class."

"Good morning, Sensei," everyone responded but me. It wasn't like he was ordering me to greet him so I stayed silent. Kohana climbed up my leg and took a seat on my lap. Once I was sure no one was looking, I stroked her back until she fell asleep.

"We have a special visitor coming in today," Iruka announced. The class erupted in whispers. "SHUT IT!" Everyone went silent again. "Please give a warm welcome to Minato Namikaze, otherwise known as the Fourth Hokage!"

The entire class erupted in applause as the door opened to reveal said man. He was wearing his official Kage robes. They were long and white with red flames licking the bottom, and in the middle of the back the kanji for "Fourth Hokage" could be read. He was wearing a normal jounin outfit underneath. In all, he looked bad ass. I wondered why I had not noticed it the day before...

"Hello, class!" he greeted with a smile. The children were in awe, but I continued to stroke Kohana who had woken up with the noise and was listening to the proceedings with keen interest, peeking over the table so she could see without being seen.

The Fourth's eyes went from each student to the next until they finally settled on me. I froze, his eyes seemed to hold suspicion. I wanted to look away but I was stuck. After what seemed like an eternity but in reality only lasted a few seconds, he began talking about Konoha and all its accomplishments.

"Woah... His eyes are the same as yours," Kohana whispered.

"What?" I gasped.

"The same colour, I mean. His hair is blond, but he sort of looks like he could be a future you," she finished, shocked at her own conclusion. I was scared, scared that this might mean something. "Jiro has black hair and brown eyes. You look nothing like him," the little fox continued.

I could have looked like my mother, right? I shook my head in disbelief at what Kohana was considering.

"Stop it, Kohana." She looked up at me confused. "Even if it meant something it wouldn't change anything." She opened her mouth to protest, but I wouldn't hear it. "Enough."

She closed her mouth again and jumped to the floor to lay down. I sighed, feeling the loss of her warmth, but I knew she would not be mad for long. She never was.

"Alright, does anyone have any questions?" the Fourth asked and half the hands in class shot up automatically. He let out a chuckle and patiently answered every question. Most were about how strong he was, what his favourite things were, and so forth. Until, that is, someone asked something stupid.

"Do you have any kids?" The reaction he displayed was definitely of surprise, to say the least.

"Yes, I do," he said with a smile, though a little strained, planted on his face, "but at the moment he is lost."

The class was quiet after that, waiting for someone else to ask what everyone wanted to know. "Are you gonna find him?" one boy asked.

"I hope so, I hope so..." the Fourth said softly.

The lunch bell rang then and the class dispersed. Kohana climbed into my bag and I carefully slung it over my shoulder and began to walk towards the door of the empty classroom. I entered the semi-crowded hallways and headed for the front exit, making sure I did not bump into anyone. I had made it to the front door, had pushed it open and began walking towards the entrance gate of the school, when out of nowhere a hand shot into my vision and grabbed my shoulder.

"Why, hello again," I looked up to see a familiar blond staring down at me happily. What Jiro had said flashed through my mind then, and I yanked my shoulder away without saying a word. I tried to walk quickly through the gate, but, before I could do that, he once again grabbed my shoulder.

"Hey, what's the rush? I just wanted to talk," he said, surprised at my reaction. I felt really bad about trying to get away from him like this, but I did not want to get beaten to death later that night. I tried to pull my shoulder from his hand again but he was too strong.

"I have to go," I mumbled. His grip on me loosened but not enough so I could lose him. Tch. Smart bastard.

"Well, I just wanted to apologize to you."

I looked up from the ground to stare at him questioningly. He didn't say anything for a few moments and I concluded he was waiting for me to answer somehow.

"Apologize for what, sir?" I asked, feeling Kohana twitch a little inside the bag, as if she was ready to help me escape if need be.

"For making you fall yesterday!" I looked at him for a while before what he said registered in my head.

"That was my fault! If anyone should apologize it should be me!" I said exasperated.

He just smiled down warmly at me and shook his head saying, "Well, I don't agree with you there, but if you want to make me feel better you could accompany me to lunch."

Wow. Didn't think that would happen. When was the last time I had eaten? Two, three days...? Jiro barely fed me anything edible, let alone good, so who was I to pass up a free meal. Although this definitely meant tonight would not be a pleasant one.

"I-If it would make you feel better..." I said, defeated.

He grinned widely before steering me to a small stand right outside the school grounds. We sat down at two empty stools and I placed my bag on my lap. An elderly man came out to greet us then.

"Welcome to Ichiraku's! What can I get for you today?"

I looked at the menu in front of me. I had never been out to eat before, so I wasn't exactly sure what to do. Scanning the menu I noticed that everything was ramen. I had never had it before so I decided to pick shrimp so Kohana could have some too. She loved fish-type food.

"I'll have the usual," the Fourth said with a smile. The old man nodded happily then turned his attention towards me.

"I-I would like the sh-shrimp ramen, please," I stuttered out. I didn't feel comfortable telling someone to do something.

"Alright, your orders will be up soon!" With one last smile, he turned to make our food.

"So, kid, do you have a name?" the Fourth asked me. "I can't keep calling you kid all the time!"

"Sora, sir," I said, my eyes facing the counter top.

"Well, my name is Minato." I looked at him, startled. "You calling me 'sir' makes me feel old, so just call me Minato," he said kindly.

"Okay then, Minato-sama." He sighed slightly at the suffix added to his name. I giggled slightly at that, the man was really just too cool.

"Well, anyway, Sora, who are your parents? I think I'd remember someone with whiskers like yours," he asked conversationally.

"Jiro Herupu," I said with a spit of venom I had not realised I possessed until then.

"And your mother?" He seemingly did not pick up on the hatred in my voice.

"Never met her. Jir- I mean, Father said she left once she caught sight of me." I mumbled towards the end.

He didn't say anything for a while and the silence was killing me. I looked up to see what Minato-sama was doing and instantly wished I hadn't. His eyes were full of the hatred I was used to seeing in Jiro's gaze when he looked at me. I flinched and looked towards the table once again, expecting the usual scolding about how demons should behave to follow. Maybe coming hadn't been such a good idea.

"That's ridiculous." I looked towards him uncomprehendingly. "Why would anyone say something like that?" he spat out.

"What's ridiculous, sir?" I asked timidly.

"That a mother would do such a thing." He sighed before turning incredibly serious. "Sora, can I ask you to do me a big favour?"

I nodded slightly.

"Would you mind coming to my office to discuss a few things?"

"What about the Academy? Father doesn't let me go anywhere else..." I responded.

"I will write you a pass and you will be fine. What kind of Hokage would I be if I couldn't get a kid out of class?" I laughed at that.

Our food came soon after in a pair of steaming bowls. I was a bit unsure as to how it looked; it had nothing to do with the food Jiro usually gave me. I broke my chopsticks, then placed the shrimp to the side before taking a small bite.

The only response I could come up with to the heavenly taste that filled my mouth was, "Wow! This stuff is great!" I happily dug in.

The Hokage was smiling at me as he ate his own ramen a bit more slowly. After we had finished, Minato-sama paid the bill while I waited outside and smuggled the shrimp to Kohana.

"Oh my god, these are sooooo good!" she moaned, licking my hands thoroughly to make sure she got all the broth off.

"We definitely have to find a way to get here more often!" I agreed.

Just then, Minato-sama came out of the stand. "Did you say something?" I shrugged and he smiled slightly. "Well, come on, let's go."

Just like that, Kohana, Minato-sama and I went to the Hokage's office with our stomachs full and, for the time being, I could not care less about what Jiro had to say about demons and humans.


	4. Chapter 4

_____'If one wishes for good, Heaven will help.'  
- Anonymous_

**Chapter IV.**

Walking down to the Hokage's office was strange. I knew that the building was close to the Academy but I never knew it was this close. I stopped and stared at the enormous white-and-red tower in wonder.

When I thought about it, I realised I hadn't been following my father's rules at all lately. My gaze should have been trained on the ground and I definitely should not be talking to anyone, least of all the Hokage, but I felt as though I was safe. Like Jiro couldn't hurt me as long as I was with this man.

I wondered what Minato-sama was going to ask me. What could a demon like me have that would interest the greatest man in the world?

"Hey, Sora! Let's go." I looked ahead and saw that Minato-sama was already at the entrance. I blushed and quickly caught up.

"Sorry, Minato-sama."

"No worries. You were acting as if you had never seen the place before," he said with a smile. I didn't say anything and noticing my silence he turned towards me with an eyebrow raised. "You have seen this place before, haven't you?" he asked, astonished that this could even be a possibility.

"Sorry, sir, but I am only allowed to the Academy and back. Unless I make Father really angry..." I mumbled the last sentence thinking about how he would kick me out after a beating sometimes, before I realised what I had said.

The Hokage stopped walking and I almost ran into him again. He turned towards me and looked at me suspiciously.

"What does he do if he is really angry?" the Fourth asked calmly, but his eyes took on a different look. They became sharp and fierce, and they were completely focused on me.

It was a question I knew I couldn't answer and so my gaze went to the ground. I tensed, waiting for the backlash to my silence and hoping that the fact that the Fourth had been so kind so far meant that he wouldn't hit very hard. Kohana began to scratch at the bag as she noticed my stillness.

"Sora..." He said it threateningly and I looked up absolutely terrified of what he might do. Jiro could hurt me but the Fourth was famous for practically having killed a whole army of ninjas with one move and he sounded like he was angry.

I slowly started to back up and eventually hit a wall. His eyes started losing their animosity, but I couldn't stop imagining what he would do if he knew I was a demon. My body began to shake and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I slid down the wall to sit down.

Kohana jumped out of the bag and tried to get my attention, but I didn't take any notice. I was in my own world, my horrible, terrifying own world. Every single foul thing ever said to me was flashing through my brain in quick succession -_"monster, demon, bastard..."_The cold, hateful glares, the punches, the feeling of my bones breaking... I could feel tears cascading down my face, but I couldn't stop them. I couldn't breathe and began to choke.

"Hey, kitten, calm down," I blinked and my vision cleared enough to see Kohana. That was her nickname for me because of my whisker-like birthmarks. She didn't use it as often as she used to when I was little, but it helped catch my attention. "You're fine, I promise."

I nodded slowly at my friend and felt extremely relieved when a breath of air circulated through my body. I closed my eyes slightly and, without further ado, passed out.

**o**

You know that feeling when you're half asleep and don't want to get up because you know that you have to do something? Yeah, that's how I felt when I regained consciousness. The first thing I noticed was that I was on a extremely comfortable mattress, with a pillow and a big blue blanket. Before I could think more on this, though, my head began pounding. Ah, just what I needed: more trouble.

I opened my eyes slightly and sighed in relief that it was dark. I sat up slowly, holding my head. My eyes adjusted to the lighting perfectly; I could see as well as I could in the day time. Demon perk, I suppose.

I looked around and took in the entire room. It was easily three times the size of my bedroom and it was painted a light blue. There were two windows, both with curtains drawn over them, which explained the darkness. On either side of the bed was a night stand. The one on the right had a lamp while the other had an alarm clock. I looked at the bright orange numbers: 8:49 pm.

I was so screwed... Jiro was going to kill me for being out so late.

"Sora?" I looked towards the end of the bed to see Kohana staring at me with worry.

"Hey..." My voice cracked slightly.

The little fox made her way over to me and curled up on my lap. "What happened?" she asked softly.

"His eyes..." I whispered back with a shudder.

"Eyes?" she asked confused.

"Yeah. He had the same eyes as Jiro and I guess I freaked out... All I could feel and see were all the things that Jiro has said or done..." I said faintly.

"I think that you are mistaken. He was mad, but not at you." I looked at her, confused. "I mean, he was more concerned than anything. After you passed out, he went crazy," Kohana said.

"What do you mean?" I asked, completely baffled by what she was telling me.

"He was all over the place shouting orders and whatnot. I don't even think he noticed me. But he had like eight doctors looking over you. He felt super bad about scaring you... You should have seen his face," the fox explained. I smiled slightly. It was a nice feeling, to be cared about.

"Anyway, after a nurse took some blood and a doctor looked you over, they said you were fine and just needed some rest. They said you had a panic attack," she said gravely. "I believe that the Fourth figured out why you had one. The doctors wanted an account of the situation and, after he finished explaining, they told him only people with extreme physical or emotional trauma would react as you had."

I snuggled Kohana into my chest trying to comfort myself. The Hokage was going to ask questions, just like Iruka-sensei always did when I showed up hurt for class.

"It's late. Jiro is going to be so mad," I whimpered.

"I'm not letting you go back tonight. Not ever."

I set the orange-red fox down and looked at her emerald eyes. "But..."

She cut me off. "No buts, you're staying here. We will find you somewhere else to live if we have to. I'll look after you! Anything is better than that house!" She was right. I could live in a cave, for all I cared, as long as it was away from that monster.

"Okay." She looked at me happily and crawled back into my lap.

"We could go to..." she was saying when her ears perked up. "Someone's coming, about forty paces away."

I nodded, clutching her to my chest again, and stared at the door, waiting.


	5. Chapter 5

_'The world is cold, it just leaves your heart broken  
but somehow unfolds without words being spoken.  
If I could I would, keep you warm in my heart,  
but how can I love you if we're always apart.'  
- chiky223_

**Chapter V.**

The door opened slowly and a blond head peeked in. I sighed quietly, both relieved and depressed at once. I had no idea how to get out of this now. I was glad that Minato-sama was still with me, but on the other hand, that meant he would be asking questions now.

I looked down at Kohana who was following the blond's movements closely, her ears pointed at him like they were accusing him of something. As he stepped inside, he kept an eye on her too. It was clear he was curious about her, maybe he was wondering why I had a wild animal on top of me, but he did not say anything until he had sat on the corner of the bed with a deep and ragged sigh - and it was not to talk about Kohana.

"I..." Minato-sama started to say. He placed his hands into his head and took a deep breath. "How are you feeling?"

"I-I'm alright," I mumbled, feeling extremely guilty about worrying him.

"Well, that's good," he replied distantly. An unnerving silence set then, and I waited for him to voice the questions that I knew he had. Apparently, he decided to take the direct approach: "I need you to tell me."

"Tell you what?" I asked, playing stupid.

I could feel Kohana staring at me but I chose to ignore it. The Fourth had been so nice - I just wanted to make that warm feeling last a little longer before the hate that would come when he found out I was a demon.

"I believe you are a very smart individual," he replied, his voice strained, "so you should know exactly what I mean."

I didn't say anything, nor did he, and after about ten minutes of silence he sighed.

"I guess I have no choice then."

I looked up at him fearfully, Jiro said things like that when I didn't answer his questions, and Jiro was not the nicest person in the world. I couldn't keep my breath from speeding up like it had before, and instinctively tightened my hold on Kohana, until:

"You are going to be stuck with me like cheese on macaroni," he said with a slight smile.

I was confused. What was he talking about? "I don't..."

He cut me off.

"You are not going to leave my side until you tell me what happened out there and why," he said firmly. I looked at him with wide eyes. Why was he doing this? Why me?

"Why do you care?" I asked miserably.

He placed a hand under my chin and lifted my head to meet his gaze: "It's my job as Hokage to care."

"You have an entire village to run! You shouldn't waste time on a worthless dem..." I stopped and looked down at Kohana who had gently bitten my hand.

"Knock it off, kitten. You are not a damn demon! Listen to him, he wants to help."

I sighed and glanced at Minato-sama. He was now looking the other way as if trying to solve a mystery.

"Alright, if you say so," I whispered back at her unhappily, hoping the Hokage was distracted enough not to hear. "Just let go of my hand." I rubbed it after she released it, but when I finally looked up, I cursed silently as I realised Minato-sama was watching me strangely.

"Sora, did you just talk to that fox?" he asked astonished. I looked at Kohana, who nodded her head encouragingly.

"Yeah, but she's not an ordinary fox... she's really smart!"

Minato-sama's eyes became bright with happiness, but as soon as I saw it, it was gone.

"Interesting... And what's her name?" he asked seriously.

"Kohana." The Fourth had a strange gleam in his eye as he nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Kohana," he greeted her, like there was nothing unusual about meeting a fox. Kohana sat a little straighter in my lap, pleased, but since she could not give him an answer he would understand, Minato-sama kept talking. "All righty then, let's go home! I'm sure my wife has finished dinner and is expecting us."

I looked at him for a minute before setting Kohana down. I was a bit overwhelmed at how quickly my life was changing. Just two days ago, I never would have thought I'd get to meet the Fourth Hokage and now he was taking me to his house!

As I got up to leave, I couldn't help but think that this was a giant turning point in my life, like the end of a terrible chapter and the beginning of a great new one.

**o**

It turned out that I had been in a sort of resting room inside the Hokage Tower. I guess they are there so the Hokage can catch a nap in his spare time, which was pretty funny.

I was walking behind Minato-sama trying to ignore all the curious glances we received. Kohana was back in the bag, but this time there was no reason for her to hide, so her eyes were just as wide as mine as we peeked inside every open door on our way out. I was still unsure about letting her be seen, though. She was attracting a lot of attention from the ninjas we passed by, so I tried to keep a hand covering her at all times.

After what felt like forever, we were out on the street. The three of us walked until the shops became sparse and a large iron gate came into view. As we reached it, Minato-sama made a quick hand sign and two ninjas with animal masks jumped in front of us.

I was startled by their sudden appearance and held Kohana to my chest. These people looked dangerous!

"You are dismissed," Minato-sama told them sternly. The two men nodded and disappeared with a _"poof"_.

"Were those ANBU?" I asked hesitantly, remembering the name from one of Iruka-sensei's lectures. The Fourth turned towards me with a smile.

"Yeah, I have to have a few with me when I'm in the village. Safety precautions."

I nodded slightly and we continued our trek. Soon, a huge house came into view, painted in whites and reds and with a dark wooden veranda running along the entire front. It looked brand new and the garden around it was well looked-after, nothing like Father's run down apartment with its boarded windows.

"Woooooah!" If she had lips, Kohana would have whistled instead. "It's huge!"

I nodded slightly in agreement and said, "Yeah, it is..."

"Did you say something, Sora?" the Fourth asked.

I blushed slightly and shook my head "no".

"You should tell him about Jiro," Kohana said, "if only just to get it off your chest. I know that brute hurts you more than you let on and this guy is the Hokage! Maybe he could do something about it," she finished.

I shook my head once more and said in a low whisper so Minato-sama wouldn't hear: "I don't want him to know I'm a demon..." When he found out, it would hurt enough. There was no doubt in my mind that the truth would come up, and when that happened... I just hoped Jiro's punishments had prepared me, for this would hurt like nothing before. Minato-sama was being so nice now...

"I'm HOOOOOOOME!" Minato shouted loudly.

I grabbed my ears - another not-so-great-at-the-moment demon perk, very heightened hearing. I whimpered slightly, as did Kohana, who had her paws over her ears. Minato looked at us with an eyebrow raised.

"What's wron..." A red headed woman kept Minato-sama from finishing as she started beating him in the head with a wooden spoon. I grabbed Kohana and stepped back.

"What the HELL is wrong with you? Do you want the WHOLE DAMN VILLAGE to know where you're at? IDIOT!" she screamed at Minato-sama while continuously smacking him.

I looked down at Kohana who was watching the scene play out as surprised as me. I was slightly frightened by this lady beating the crap out of the Fourth... with a spoon.

"Hey, come on, love. Don't be mad... We have a guest after all!" Minato-sama said after the red-head took a break in hitting him. I guessed her arm might have gotten tired, even Jiro couldn't keep at it continuously on his worst days.

I made sure to keep that spoon well in sight as she turned to face me, but then I was surprised a second time when her mood changed radically. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in my appearance. Maybe she thought I was incredibly ugly like Jiro did - or maybe as ugly as my mother had thought I was... I began to squirm uncomfortably under her gaze, until she glanced at Minato-sama and he gave her a slight nod.

She smiled softly and I got to hear her voice properly for the first time then.

"Hi, there. I'm sorry you had to see that," she said.

I couldn't help but think of how beautiful she was. And her voice was so soft that it immediately put my fears to rest. I knew then that she was nothing like Father. I smiled.

"My name is Kushina Namikaze. What's yours?" she asked bending over so we were at the same level.

"Sora Herupu, Ma'am," I said uneasily. She was in my personal space and usually the only person to do that... Deep breaths. She was nothing like Jiro, I reminded myself, and Minato-sama wouldn't let anything happen.

Woah. Epiphany much... I actually trusted him! I had barely known him for a day, but it felt like it had been forever. I looked towards Minato and smiled slightly. He returned it, and I felt as if, for the moment, everything was okay. If the world froze right now I would be happy.

This was what I had always dreamed of having, a family. Too bad I would only be there for a few days at most.

**o**

"Alright, let's eat!" Kushina exclaimed happily.

I grimaced slightly. I had already eaten once that day and my body was used to starving. Having so much food was going to make me sick. I looked at Kohana who had reached a similar conclusion and was looking at me with worry. We entered a good-sized kitchen, where a pot full of a nice-looking noodly dish was already resting on the table. My stomach was still full and it turned painfully as I got a whiff of the spicy smell, reminding me that I had eaten only hours ago. I must have been more obvious than I thought, because Minato-sama and Kushina looked at me expectantly.

"Not that this doesn't look delicious, but didn't we eat a little while ago Minato-sama?" I asked, trying to be inconspicuous but failing. I could never catch a break. Sometimes I wished people wouldn't ask so many questions.

"That was almost eight hours ago, Sora. Aren't you hungry?" Minato asked, concern showing on his face.

I thought about how I was going to answer. I could play it off or I could let some of the truth out. After all Minato had done for me that day, I figured he deserved a bit of truth. I looked down at my bag, met Kohana's eyes and took a deep breath.

"I only eat once every couple of days, sometimes longer than that. I don't think I can handle any more food right now..." He looked at me with a blank expression, but his eyes soon changed to a fierce icy blue as it looked like he had connected another piece of the puzzle.

"What do you..." Kushina began to ask, but was cut off by Minato-sama.

"Nothing to worry about." His tone must have made it clear to drop the subject. She was silent after that.

"Was that so hard?" Kohana asked quietly. I didn't answer her question, not wanting to draw attention to her. Minato-sama may have accepted her, but who knew if Kushina would complain about my friend. My gaze shifted to the floor as silence filled the room.

"All right then." I looked up to see that Minato-sama had clapped his hands together. "I bet you're tired anyway. What would you say if I showed you to your room?"

I nodded slowly and he led me out of the room. We walked along a corridor with many doors on either side. Minato-sama occasionally stopped to point out a room and tell what was in it. It kind of made me feel uncomfortable, I did not understand why he was explaining all that to me. My mind was too much in a daze to comprehend what he was saying, but I nodded politely every time he paused to check if I was paying attention. We eventually reached a white door with a silver knob which he turned to open.

"And this is where you will be staying for the time being." He switched the light on. "I think there are some clothes you can sleep in over at the closet," he looked over my excessively large clothes with a frown then, "but our room is right across the hallway, so if you need anything just holler."

I looked at the bedroom in awe. It was very plain, but not at the same time. Burgundy walls with white trimming, a bed made up with matching colours and a small desk in one corner. Across from the bed was another white door that led to a bathroom. To most people this might have been a normal room, but to me it was paradise.

I turned towards the Fourth and flashed him a small smile.

"Thanks, Minato-sama. This is really generous of you."

"No problem, kiddo." He ruffled my hair and my face grew warm. "You can stay here as long as you want, but don't forget the reason I brought you here. You can trust me, I'll protect you."

I nodded at him slowly. Protect me? He must have meant something else. He really only wanted me here for that information.

"Of course, Minato-sama," I answered grimly.

"You can take a shower if you want. I'll get those PJs out for you."

I nodded gratefully. The only bathing that I could accomplish was when I jumped into the freezing brook and jumped out as quickly as possible. Jiro said that demons didn't need showers.

Minato-sama left and closed the door silently, leaving me with a clean change of clothes in my hands. I felt kind of bad. I wanted to tell him about my father, but... I couldn't. What if he hated me afterwards too?

I placed my bag on the ground, and Kohana happily trotted out, then jumped on the bed. She laid down with a content sigh and stretched comfortably. I guessed she had never had anything as confortable to sleep in back at the park.

"I could get used to this," she murmured sleepily. I smiled at her and walked into the bathroom.

I shut the door behind me and looked around. It was a normal bathroom, but easily twice as big and three times cleaner than the one at Jiro's house. I opened the shower door and looked at the knobs. One had an "H" and the other had a "C". I had no idea what each meant so I just turned the handle with the "H" and hoped for the best. Soon, the whole room was warm and steamy.

As the water cascaded down my body, I decided I liked hot showers. They definitely made it up to the top of my list of favourite things, right next to that ramen I'd had with Minato-sama and learning new shinobi things.

I put on my fresh pair of sweatpants and T-shirt. They were a bit big on me, but they smelled nice and the large size was nothing I wasn't used to already. I wiped the foggy bathroom mirror and looked at my reflection for a minute. My hair was sticking to my head and I had bags under my eyes.

I yawned as I stepped out of the bathroom. Kohana was snoring on one of the pillows, which was pretty funny because I never knew foxes could snore. I shut the light off then and crawled into bed. I sighed as my head hit the cloud-like pillow and, before I knew it, I was asleep.

_I was in an empty white room. The walls were all white, there was no door. I looked around trying to find someone or something. I looked left, right, up and down, but then Kohana appeared and gave me a heated glare. I took two steps back, nervously._

_"You're weak," she snarled at me. I flinched at the venom in her voice._

_"I can't believe I spent this long with a waste of space like you. Friends? Ha! What a joke, just like your existence." Kohana flicked her tail and faded from view. Tears were running down my face as the remains of my broken heart cracked._

_The scenery changed and I was suddenly thrown into the living room of Jiro's house. I was instantly slammed against the nearest wall by my throat. I clawed at the hand, trying to get oxygen into my lungs. I opened my eyes when a fist connected with my stomach, and looked up to meet hate-filled brown irises._

_"Demon, did you really think you could get away with disobeying me?" Jiro snarled and dropped me to the ground. I coughed trying to get the air back into my lungs, and was kicked on the side of the face. I was thrown to the other side of the room, blood trickling down my cheek._

_"You should just fucking die, you worthless, useless demon! No one will ever love something as disgusting as you!" he spat._

_He was right. I was useless and worthless..._

_He reached into his back pocket and took out a kunai. The light hit the blade and made it sparkle as it flew towards me. In that moment I sat in awe of its terrifying beauty. Finally, with great precision, it hit me in the stomach. I let out a blood-curdling scream. The pain was unbearable, I was sure I was going to die, but suddenly the door swung open and the Fourth ran in._

_"Get off of him!" he yelled and tackled Jiro to the ground, but he hadn't seen the kunai in my stomach or the one in Jiro's hand. With a flick of the wrist, Father had slit Minato's throat, who fell backwards and gurgled before laying still._

_Jiro looked towards me with a crazed smile and stalked closer to finish me off. Horror and dread washed through me in quick succession. Minato-sama couldn't be dead. He couldn't be, he was supposed to be my saviour. He couldn't be..._

"NOOOOO!" I screamed, terrified. I could feel the water running down my face but I couldn't stop it. I curled into a tight ball on the bed, gripped my head and kept screaming.

The door burst open and a ruffled Hokage in pyjama pants and bed head holding a kunai ran into my room. I saw the weapon and my screaming stopped and became a choked sob. He tried to get closer but I backed up until I fell off the bed.

I continued to back up until I hit the wall. I curled again into a tight ball, my hands never leaving my head. He looked at me with concern, but it meant nothing to me. He had died and left me alone when he was supposed to save me. He was dead... dead!

Another choking sob raked through me and I curled tighter into myself. I was suddenly picked up and held in a warm and strong embrace. He had lied, he'd said he would protect me...

"GET OFF, get off, get off!" I screamed, struggling in his grasp. I bawled even more but he just held me tighter. What Jiro had said ran through my mind: _useless, worthless... demon. _I was not the demon, he was. He's the monster, not me!

"I'm not a demon, I'm not a demon, I'm not..." I whimpered into Minato's shoulder.

"Of course you're not, Sora... You're just a little kid who has a story to tell," he whispered back, trying to comfort me.

He held me tightly and, with his last words in my mind, I fell back asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_'Everyone needs reminders that the fact of their being on this earth is important and that each life changes everything.'  
- Marge Kennedy_

**Chapter VI.**

The sun filtered into the room through the curtains and I tiredly opened my eyes. The nightmare was still replaying at the back of my mind and I shuddered at the memory of Kohana leaving and Jiro killing Minato.

I tried to sit up, but something was holding me down. My breath became shallow as I thought of Jiro holding me by my throat. Seemingly noticing my distress, the hold loosened and I quickly jumped away. I got to the edge of the bed and slid down, only then slowly lifting my head to look back.

Two pairs of eyes were looking at me, worry and concern showing in both. Kohana jumped off from the bed and silently landed next to me. I picked her up and snuggled her into my chest, before putting her next to me, thinking about what she had said in my dream. I flinched as I heard the words as clearly as if they had been spoken in real life: _"Friends? Ha! What a joke, just like your existence." _I looked at her carefully. Kohana would never say something like that... right?

"Sora?" I looked up to see Minato staring at me, extremely worried. "Are you okay?"

I thought about his question. Was I okay? Physically, I guess I was... but I was not sure if that was true overall. I shrugged at his question. "I don't know..." I said, unsure.

"I could help if you would tell me," he said quietly. I looked at the leader of the village - really looked at him. He seemed extremely tired; he must have stayed with me all night. No person had ever done that for me before, no one. This man, that I had met not three days ago, had really wormed his way into my broken heart and all he had done was to be there.

The problem was, would he stay?

"What's a demon?" I asked suddenly. He looked at me confused, so I continued. "I thought it was something evil, something that hurts others and hates everyone and everything. That's what he calls me, though. Never my name, just 'demon' or worse. The weird thing is the words always hurt more than the punches..."

Minato was listening to every word I said.

"'Demons are always supposed to listen to humans, they are beneath them in every way.' He always tells me these things, but he is my Father, isn't he? So... doesn't that make him a demon too?"

_A four-year-old with whiskered cheeks and tears in his big azure eyes looked up at his father with fear. The man looked down in disgust at the child. He kicked his leg and the toddler went to the floor with a sharp yelp._

_"Did you say something, demon?" the man snarled. The tot sat up quickly holding his now hurting shin and shook his head automatically. "That's good, because you know what would happen if you did, don't you?" the man said threateningly and grabbed the young child's hair to pull him up to eye level. "That would be disobeying an order from a human and we can't have that, can we?"_

_The little child shook his head in agreement. Whatever daddy wanted, he could have. He just didn't want anymore boo-boos..._

_A five-year-old with whiskered cheeks looked in fear as his 'father' held a knife in his hand and waved it in front of his face in a warning. The child took a step back and the man muttered:_

_"Uh-oh, you know what happens when you retreat. Come here, you little demon! Let's get this over with," he said with mock sadness. The knife descended upon the youngster and slashed his arm. "Leave, you little shit, before you make me vomit my dinner!"_

_The little one nodded and ran out of the house..._

_A six-year-old youth looked at the front door of the house, frightened. He knew what would be waiting on the other side. He slowly trudged through the entryway, waiting for the unavoidable. He dawdled in the hallway then slowly made his way to his bedroom. Just as he reached for the doorknob thinking he was safe, a belt flashed down and struck him on the hand. With a yelp, he fell on his backside and held the throbbing appendage to his chest._

_"Haven't I taught you anything? Or are you too fucking stupid to understand?" He lashed out with the belt again, this time striking the child across his whiskered face. He whimpered slightly at the stinging cheek. "Get the hell out of my sight."_

_The youngster opened his door quickly and jumped inside..._

_A seven-year-old with whiskered cheeks lay curled on the ground as blow after blow rained down on him. He lay huddled into himself so his torturer wouldn't see his tears. After all, he didn't want more punishment. Deep inside, he knew this was wrong, having seen other children's families - they were all happy and smiling while he was left bleeding and crying. He began to believe that only demons got treated this way. Coming to that realization, he took the onslaught of pain in silence..._

_An eight-year-old with whiskered cheeks leaned heavily on the door, head spinning. He knew he should have kept quiet but when the hot metal that had been resting in the fire made contact with his skin, he couldn't help but scream. Now he was standing in his doorway, tears in his eyes, as his burnt chest throbbed. He was going to be without food for another three days. He could make it, only humans needed to eat every day..._

Minato's eyes were filling with absolute fury as he heard me talk about my past, but ignoring my mind's screams to run I continued.

"B-b-beatings are a daily occurrence... in fact, it's a regular thing. I always have to be on my guard, though it never helps. The day we met, he had just hit me on the head." Minato's eyes widened in realization. "I thought you were going to hit me too and when I saw who you were, I... I... I was even more scared... When I got home that night, I got beaten again... it wasn't that bad, he only broke a rib or two and they were healed by morning, like usual. As long as it's not deadly, I am better by the morning, so no one notices. And when I get beaten in the morning, it's usually not too bad so I don't have to worry. That night though, I was told that if I talked to you again, that last night would seem like 'child's play'... I tried to get away from you, but you wouldn't let me go, and now Kohana and I somehow ended up in your home..."

My voice cracked many times throughout the explanation. This was one of the hardest things I had ever done and I looked hopefully at the man I was trusting. I was surprised when I was pulled into a big, strong hug. I looked up and was surprised to find that Minato-sama had tears in his eyes.

"Na... Sora, I am so sorry..." he whispered into my hair. He slowly let me go, but kept both hands on my shoulders as he looked me in the eyes.

"It's okay, it wasn't your fault..." I mumbled, too embarrassed to hold his stare.

"Maybe it was... Something like this should never have happened. And you are... just a child. You should have been protected the most," he paused. "None of those awful things that so-called father of yours said are true, Sora! Please believe me. You have been very strong, and I'm so proud of you, but now it's time you let others take care of you."

I immediately started crying, fearful of believing all the things I was hearing. After a while, I rubbed my eyes and looked up to see that Minato-sama had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Now, how would you feel about going to my office for a little while? I think I know of a way to get Jiro arrested. With very effective evidence." He looked at me encouragingly and I smiled. This was too good to be true, surreal even.

"And what will happen to me?"

"You are staying right here with me, of course. Like macaroni and cheese, remember?"

I answered with a laugh as the tears started flowing again. I could hardly believe how my whole life was suddenly different.

"Well," Minato-sama said. "Let's get ready for the day. It seems like it's going to be a long one." He mumbled towards the end and I chuckled slightly. Then someone knocked on the door.

"Breakfast is ready, guys! Come and get it!" we heard Kushina say through the door.

Minato-sama smiled at me and gave me a gentle push towards the bathroom. Then he came up to me again and gave me a final hug which I soaked up like a sponge. I was still wondering if all that had just happened was a dream when he left the bedroom to get dressed himself.

"Sora?" Kohana's voice brought me back to reality. "Do you think..." Whatever she was going to ask, she did not finish and I could tell she was thinking very hard about something.

"What is it?"

"He smelled like... and you smell like... and then your birthday..." The little fox could not bring herself to finish any sentence and I was getting confused. Then her eyes lit up and I knew she had just remembered something important. "Didn't you tell me once that you had a pendant that belonged to your mother?"

"Umm... yeah," I answered, my hand automatically going up to my chest to feel the little medallion through my shirt. I never took it off. Ever. I was too afraid of losing it.

"I think you should show it to Minato-sama. And maybe Kushina too!" Her rush of excitement spent, she became a little more serious then. "This is going to sound crazy, but I think you might be related to them."

My stomach dropped, not because having a family would be a bad thing, but...

"His son was born the same day you were, you have heightened senses and you have whisker marks on either side of your cheeks, just like a fox! Plus, you sort of look and smell like Minato-sama and his son has been missing since the day he was born. What if you're him?"

It would be a wish and a dream come true, but if that was the truth... then Minato-sama had just lied to me and I really was a demon.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes: **_I'm almost ashamed to give you such a short chapter after taking so long to update, but this was the last thing Soul-Kit posted and I wanted to keep it separate from what's coming next. After this, the fic will be exclusively written by me. I'll do my best not to make you wait as long next time. Enjoy!_

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**Chapter VII.**

I thought hard and long about what Kohana had said as I changed my clothes. She was right; there were too many coincidences to ignore. I thought back to all the things I knew about the situation.

Minato-sama and Kushina had a son, into whom the Fourth had sealed the Nine-tailed Fox, Kyuubi. He was supposed to have died then, but by some miracle he lived. His son, however, went missing. I remember hearing about how they searched the entire village, and many others in Fire Country, but no blond baby boy had ever been found.

Kushina and Minato-sama were heart-broken and vowed never to give up hope, which was admirable. The saying "hidden in plain sight" rang through my head. It wasn't their fault, but if they had looked a little closer to home, maybe they would have found me and I wouldn't have had to endure the kind of torture I did for almost nine years...

Well, if this was true. Kohana and I could still be wrong. I opened the door and walked out, with Kohana trotting by my side.

"So have you thought about it?" she asked.

"Yeah... I think it's a possibility," I replied with a small grimace.

She snorted, "Yeah, it's definitely a freaking possibility! Gosh, kitten, sometimes you can be as dense as a rock!"

I made a grab for her to get some payback for that nice little comment, but she darted forward. I tripped and was about to fall face first into the ground when I was caught gently.

"Whoa there, killer! There's no need for animal abuse," Kushina said with a smirk. I jumped out of her grasp and blushed. Could she really be...?

"Yeah, well, she started it..." She looked at me oddly and then smiled.

"Did she now?" she said walking ahead and beckoning me to follow.

"Yeah, she called me dumb," I muttered under my breath.

"So you can really speak to her?" the red-head asked impressed.

"Yeah," I said shortly.

"That's very unique to the Uzumaki clan," she said. The Uzumaki clan?, I thought. I was not part of a clan, and I had never even heard of that one, so why would I... "That's the name of my old clan, before most were killed in the war."

Holy shit.

"So you can understand Kohana too?" I asked, trying to hide my shock. Now I knew at the very least that I had a clan, which was Kushina's... I didn't know how much more shock I could handle.

"Of course! I used to have a little fox friend too, you know," she looked at me with a grim smile, "but she was killed during a mission, in an unexpected explosion in enemy territory."

I don't think I could live without Kohana, much less see her get killed...

"What was her name?" I asked, trying to break the silence.

"Pika. She was great at stealth and sweet as could be... unless you made her angry. Then you'd better get the hell away." She smirked fondly at some untold memory.

I felt bad about upsetting her. I was not sure why, but all my "training" with Jiro seemed to be fading away slowly. Even if Kohana's theory proved to be wrong, these two already felt like parents to me and I was so glad that they had taken me into their home.

Acting on impulse, which I never did, I pulled on her sleeve and she turned around. I gave her a quick hug and stepped back. "I'm sorry for your loss and for bringing up bad memories. I don't know what I'd do without Kohana..."

Kushina looked as surprised as I felt, but she reached over and ruffled my hair fondly.

"No worries, Sora. It was a long time ago. Remember to always treasure your friends, life won't be the same if they're gone."

I gazed at her happily, she was just as nice as Minato-sama, although with a few violent tendencies in the mix... She was the second nicest person I had ever met. I followed her the rest of the way to the kitchen and saw Kohana sitting on a stool, looking at me smugly.

"Uzumaki clan, huh?" she said smirk still in place. Not wanting to answer, I nodded in her direction and took a seat.

Kushina set a plate of yellow stuff and strips of meat in front of me. I sniffed it cautiously. It looked gross, but it smelt really good. I picked up my fork and tentatively took a small bite of the yellow stuff. It was delicious!

"You act as if you've never had eggs before." I looked up and Kushina was sipping her coffee with a smile. I hadn't, I don't think. Most of my food was old and had fuzz on it. If I was careful and didn't eat the fuzz, then I wouldn't be sick. I had to eat it; I had no idea when there might be food again.

"I don't think I have," I replied without thinking about her reaction.

"What?" she said angrily.

I looked up frightened at the mood swing. Kohana had leapt away to the counter top and was watching the red-head with wide eyes too. As Kushina made a step towards me, anger rolling off her in waves, I dropped my chopsticks and got ready to run. Kohana, however, suddenly sprung in front of her, her fur standing up, claws extended, fangs bared. She let out a hiss.

Kushina looked at her with apprehension, before she realized the killer intent she was letting out. Minato-sama came in then, fully dressed and with a smile on his face, until he saw the tension in the room.

"What happened?" he asked confused, taking in the sight of a pissed fox and an angry red-head. I shook my head.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes: **_Sorry for taking so long to update again. Like I said before, this chapter marks the first part entirely written by me. I hope you will continue to enjoy the story as much as before!_

* * *

**Chapter VIII.**

Breakfast went by quietly after Minato-sama arrived. He sat down next to me, but only had eyes for his coffee cup and newspaper. Kohana took up the chair on my other side and was looking at Kushina suspiciously, but the red-head had already apologised for getting carried away and settled down. I, on the other hand, was getting so full of delicious food that I had forgotten all about being embarrassed. I was more worried I would get sick now.

I finally finished the last of the meat strips – it was called bacon, Kushina told me – only to look up and find the red-head looming over me with a second dose.

"Um... thanks, but I'm full," I said softly.

Her answer came as if I had not spoken at all: "You didn't have dinner last night and who knows how many other days and nights!"

I smiled, feeling an unfamiliar warmth spread inside me. With Jiro, things were never given away easily. If I got food from him, it was because I was getting so weak it was hard to move, and new clothes only came when people started staring at all the holes on my old ones. Kushina and Minato-sama, however, acted like giving was only natural, like I deserved all those things.

I looked down at the table. I wished I had something to give them too so they could feel the same way that I did. It was great.

"You need to eat more if you want to grow up big and strong!" and with that, a new plate loaded with even more things than the first one came down in front of me. This one had slices of bread too with some sort of mushy colourful stuff on top. "Dig in!"

I was saved from having to explain myself again when the doorbell rang and Kushina left to get it. Minato-sama took the food away from me with a wink then.

"Don't worry, Sora. You don't have to force yourself. Kushina is just a bit too eager to make up for lost time. Just eat what your body tells you to so you don't get sick, okay?" he said.

I smiled back at him too, until we both heard a large crash followed by one of Kushina's screams in the main hallway. Kohana and I started with the surprise, while Minato-sama turned a little whiter and his eyes a little rounder. He was starting to sweat as he dropped everything and got up to his feet.

"Wait here, okay?" I nodded, more than happy to do just that. Kohana did the same then jumped onto my lap. The situation sounded serious out there. I clutched her tightly and smoothed down her fur. Her tail looked twice as big!

"That woman is scary..." she said.

"Yeah," I agreed, "but she's nice."

The only answer I got was a foxy snort.

Whatever had happened, it seemed like Minato-sama had taken care of it because I couldn't hear any more noises out there. Still, I decided to stay put and wait for everyone to get back. If there was one thing Jiro hated more than anything, that was when he caught me somewhere I wasn't supposed to be. One time, I couldn't find my bag anywhere and had gone into his room to look for it. I remember thinking that he wouldn't get mad because I couldn't go to school without it, but was I ever wrong... I could still feel the exact spot the chair had hit me.

I was pretty sure that Minato-sama would not throw a chair at me if I got up from the table, but I wasn't confident enough to risk it just yet. And so I waited... until it felt like almost half an hour had gone by and my curiosity got the best of me.

With one last glance at the food that hadn't been touched, I slipped down the chair. Kohana's ears perked up when she saw me quietly approach the door and she looked at me funny.

Sneaking was something I had a lot of practice in. It was one of the few skills I got more praise from Iruka-sensei that anyone else in class.

I peeked through the door and found an empty hallway. Could they have left? I felt a little panicky at the thought of being all alone in the strange house, not knowing who might come in at any moment. I spent some time looking for the Hokage and his wife, before the sound of Kohana's little claws clacking against the floorboards let me know she had decided to join me.

"I don't see them." I shrugged.

"Follow me," Kohana said, leading the way to my bedroom.

I started hearing Minato-sama's and Kushina's voices coming from the room across from mine as we got closer, but it wasn't until I leaned right against the door that I could make out what it was they were saying.

"...all this time. What do we do now?" That was Kushina's voice.

"The exact same thing we have been doing so far," Minato-sama answered. "We can't just..."

"I can't wait to get my hands on that bastard." I was shocked at the dark tone of her voice when she interrupted Minato-sama. I had heard her shout and threaten people before, but these words spoke of a violence that was on par with Jiro's when he really wanted to put me in my place. "I don't care what you say, Minato. I'm going after that demon and good luck to whoever comes later to identify the remains!"

The word _demon _rang in my head like a warning bell.

"I've told you. I'm already working on it."

"Well, you're not being fast enough about it! I've waited nine years for this. I'm not going to wait much longer! I'll make him regret the day he was born!"

I immediately jumped back, as if a flame had burst from the keyhole and burned me. I grabbed my pendant and tried to tell myself that it wasn't true, that the words Jiro had told me all those years ago and that I could still hear in my head loud and clear weren't true.

_"Your mother took one look at you and promised that if you ever got within arms' reach of her again, she would kill you. Be grateful you have me, demon."_

Minato really was a liar. He had told me I wasn't a demon when he knew full well that that was not true. He had been the one to put the Nine-tails in me, so he had to know. He had been the one to make me this way! And Kushina... I now realised that I had been the one to give myself away. I should never have talked to her about Kohana. That way, she would have never known I was related to her.

It was all my fault that my chances of having a family were ruined. If only I had followed Jiro's rules and kept my mouth shut and my eyes down, Minato and Kushina would have never found out about me and maybe, just maybe, my dreams could have had a chance to come true.

I rushed into my bedroom and grabbed my bag, feeling the beginnings of the same hysteria that had caused me to collapse on the street in front of the Hokage tower. I did not stop to make sure I had everything before running out of the house like Jiro was after me with a knife screaming murder.

The only place I could think of to go to was the Academy and it was pure luck that I got there just as the first bell was ringing. I didn't stop until I reached the end of the line of students who were in the same class as me and caught my breath while I waited for everyone to slowly go in. It was only then that I realised I had left Kohana behind.

I turned around hoping that she had followed me, and that was when I got the second shock of the day, as I noticed the person standing right behind me.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX.**

I was no stranger to fear. I had seen and endured the worst of Jiro for years, so much so that I had run out of tears. Ex-ninja or not, he was strong and he never held back. I'd also been through a lot the several times Jiro's friends had gone over to the house, but this stranger in front of me was... scary. I didn't get a good look at him before I turned my face downwards, but he was as tall and as broad as a small giant.

My time with Iruka-sensei had prepared me to deal with a different kind of fear too. I swear his head got twice as big and his veins nearly burst when he caught my classmates slacking off during class. The volume of his voice when he went at it could rival Jiro's. I went to too much trouble to be invisible at school to have ever been at the receiving end of one of Iruka's lectures, but, as I flinched when the stranger lurched forward to grab my shoulder, I wondered if maybe this feeling of being cornered was exactly what the other kids went through when they were caught.

I yelped and kept my eyes on the wooden sandals in front of me, feeling his stare. I just wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. Coming to the Academy had been a bad idea.

"Hey, what's the rush?" he asked. His deep voice reminded me of some of Jiro's friends, the ones who usually had already had too much to drink when they remembered there was a little demon in the same house who didn't deserve to be there. "Where are you going?"

"School, sir," I answered the floorboards beneath my feet. Maybe I should have spoken a bit louder, because my words were completely drowned out by a sigh from the stranger. I would have repeated myself, but my voice left me when he held my shoulder a bit more tightly.

"Come on, it's your lucky day. You get to play hooky and make your snotty, little friends jealous." He laughed at his own joke and started dragging me back towards the street.

I threw one slightly desperate look at the door to my classroom, but I realised that there were only a handful of students left outside. Everyone else had already gone in. I dug my heels into the ground and tried to pull myself free. I was as helpless as an ant trying to resist an elephant.

"Look, Kushina's going to flip when she finds out you left the house, so just come along, ok? Gods know how my airhead of a student puts up with her, but you wouldn't want her to yell at me, do you? I already got one dose of it today and it's not even nine o'clock yet..."

"But I have classes with Iruka-sensei!... Who are you?" The question slipped from my mouth. I'm not sure why I asked it - I hadn't thought it and it's not like it mattered. I really didn't like the sound of his voice and he had just admitted he was taking me to Kushina, whom by now I was pretty sure was my mother and wanted nothing to do with me.

I chanced a quick glance upwards to finally get a good look at the stranger's face. He had twin blood-red stripes going down from his eyes to his chin and a mane of white hair so shaggy and long, it was like some sort of furry animal had died on his back. Neither were reassuring images and I gulped as I shifted my gaze down again.

The second bell for the late students rang while I waited for his answer. I hoped his silence didn't mean my question had made him angry. From my experiences with Jiro, it was never a good thing to talk back.

"You don't know who I am? Ahhh, kids these days..." It sounded like he was seriously upset and I bit my stupid tongue. How soon had I unlearned all of Jiro's lessons. All it had taken was a day with Minato-sama and... I forced my thoughts to go elsewhere. "Why, I'm the famous, gallant - ever-popular with the ladies -, the great toad summoner and one of the Sannin... I am..."

"Sora!" I heard Iruka-sensei shout behind me at the same time the white-haired man groaned. I guessed he didn't like being interrupted. My teacher's footsteps were coming closer, though, and I'd never been so happy to hear him angry as now. "May I ask what you're still doing here, Mister Herupu? You're out past the second bell."

"I'm sorry, sir," I started to say. I would have followed it up with a "I'm coming", but the stranger didn't let me finish.

"Are you this little brat's teacher? Perfect. You can go back to your class, he's not going today or any other day for the rest of the week, for that matter."

"What do you mean, he's not going? And may I ask just who you are?" I could imagine Iruka-sensei's head starting to swell. Any minute now, the stranger would have to loosen his grip on me to deal with the teacher's wrath and then I would be able to run off and look for Kohana!

"Argh, kids..." the white-haired man groaned. He let go of me to rub a hand across his face and I didn't wait another second.

I dropped my bag and took off running. I had already crossed the gate that led out from the Academy yard into the street when I heard the first shouts from the two men. Luckily, I was fast and nimble, and since I'd had a good breakfast for once I had no trouble finding the strength to keep going street after street, turn after turn, until I was sure I'd lost both of them.

I stopped in the middle of the street and leaned forward on my knees to catch my breath. Suddenly I couldn't avoid my feelings about this whole situation. On the one hand, I'd just left behind the one person I knew that might still have helped me figure out what I was supposed to do with myself. Maybe Iruka-sensei would have known some place I could stay in. On the other, I couldn't help feeling free of all the fear I'd had to live with my whole life. For the first time ever, there was no one over my shoulder that I had to worry about, no worries whether or not the people around me would hurt me.

I felt lonelier than ever, though. I wished Kohana was there...

I lifted my head and tried to figure out which way the park was. If I was ever going to find her, that was where I'd have to go. As it turned out, I wasn't very far, and so I made my way there at a jog.

My spirits lifted at the familiar smell of the flowers as I got near. They reminded me of the time when I had first met the little fox and I immediately knew everything was going to be all right. My arm had been blistering from severe burns and I had had nowhere to go, so right now, as bad as things were, I was at least in better shape than then. And if I had been fine then, I would be fine this time too for sure.

I called out for Kohana, but for once there was no answer. I knew that was likely to happen - maybe she was looking for me elsewhere - but I still couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Still, I went over to our tree and settled down to wait.

With all the kids at school, the park was empty, so there was nothing but the soothing sound of the leaves brushing against each other in the wind and the occasional chirps of birds. Everything was peaceful and I closed my eyes to rest a little.

I'm not sure whether I fell asleep or not, but when I opened them again, there was Jiro.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter X.**

The second I laid my eyes on Jiro, I started trembling uncontrollably. I knew I most likely would not survive the beating he had in store for me this time.

"Get up, you little shit," he growled.

Even though I did not wait to start moving, apparently I did not do it fast enough for his taste. He grabbed my arm with enough force to bruise and pulled me up. I never even saw the slap that followed, but when he leaned in close to stare at me in the face I could not tear my eyes away from his.

"Now, we're going to leave this place, and I swear to god that if you try to run away or let out so much as a peep, you will regret it. Got that, demon?"

"Uh-huh," I answered in a small voice and immediately got a second smack to the head that left me seeing stars.

"NOT A PEEP!"

He dragged me out of the park and through the streets after that, his hold on my arm so tight that it cut off circulation. I was pretty sure it was only the second time ever he allowed himself to be seen in public with me. The first had been when he had taken me to the Academy to enroll as a new student. He had never accompanied me to school, or anywhere else, after that.

I was too busy nursing my aching head and trying to get my eyes to focus to notice where he was taking me. We might have left the village, because the next thing I knew, he was trying to open a padlock keeping a tall wire fence closed and I could see nothing but trees beyond.

I realised just how nervous and frustrated Jiro was when it took him several attempts to get the key into the lock. It was more than strange seeing him this way and I cringed at what that could mean for me. I could remember all of his past threats and punishments all too well. Every single one of them had been terrible and he had never been this riled up or felt the need to take me somewhere this remote to do it.

I was almost relieved when the padlock gave up its struggle to aggravate Jiro even more, but not so much when he grabbed my arm and started walking again. Every step we took into that forest road took us farther away from the safety of Konoha and I knew that this was it. This time the punishment would be so great that I would end up buried and forgotten right here, in the middle of nowhere, where no one would know what had happened. I hesitated taking the next step as soon as that thought crossed my mind and earned myself a rough pull forward and a stinging slap that split my lip.

I was too afraid to cry when an abandoned-looking cottage came into view. There was no one in sight, but Jiro dragged me up to the front door anyway and kicked it open savagely. The loud bang sent a flock of birds flying from a nearby tree and I whimpered, unable to hold back my fright any longer.

"Shut your trap!" he shouted automatically. "This is all your fault, you know. If you hadn't gone to see the Hokage, I wouldn't have had to do this... heh, and you can be sure it's going to hurt a lot more now than if I'd done it later like I wanted to."

_Do what?_ I wanted to know, but there was no way I was going to open my mouth and talk back to that man.

The air got a few degrees colder when the door closed behind us and I could not hold back a shiver and a sneeze. Jiro snarled and threw me against the wall to shut me up. He went straight to the opposite corner and I took the chance to examine the interior of the cottage.

It was a small house with just the one dusty, grey room and a single window. Jiro was pulling out long black cords from a cabinet in one of the corners and in the dead centre was a large table with four leather belts attached at each of its ends, perfect for holding someone down. There was nothing else there and I wondered if this was where he went when he wasn't at home.

"Did I ever tell you how I ended up stuck with you?" he asked as he untangled the long wires. I knew he was not looking for an answer so I just kept quiet and hugged my knees, trying to bring my shaking under control. "I wasn't always like this. I used to be a ninja, a chuunin, and a damn good one too. I was out defending Konoha the night the Nine-tailed Fox attacked. I was by the gates, trying to keep it at bay. My friends and comrades were falling right and left and I knew that I was going to go next when that thing's red chakra wrapped around me and tossed me into the forest around the village."

He threw a glare at me and started forward as if he was going to use the cords on me as a whip. I curled into a tighter ball to prepare for the onslaught, but none came. When I looked up, he was only shaking his head in disgust.

"I thought I had died," he continued. He also kept working on the cords. "I could hardly feel anything. I was numb and the world felt so dull. It was a miracle that I survived that crash with just a broken leg, but I wished I had died right there. The fucking Nine-tails had burned away my chakra pathways. I couldn't use chakra any more and that meant my career as a ninja was over."

I had always known that Jiro was an ex-ninja who lived off of some retirement pension, but I had never heard the story of how that had happened. And now that I knew that I was the one who had done that to him... I almost felt bad. Being a ninja was my greatest dream and I could not even imagine what it would be like to have that taken away from me.

"After I got on my feet again, I slowly started to make my way back to the village and imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon the Hokage, alone in a clearing and sealing the Nine-tails into a baby. In my state, I would just get in his way so I stayed hidden and watched. He passed out as soon as the monster was gone and that was when I left my cover. I was just going to help him, but then I saw the demon, you."

His gaze was piercing as he said it.

Fear gripped my heart and stopped it for a second. Then it started beating twice as fast when I thought about Minato-sama. There was no denying now that I was the Hokage's missing son, but it was strange to have my suspicions confirmed in such a manner by Jiro.

"I was pissed that it dared to pass off as something as innocent as a baby. I was going to kill you on the spot, but then I started thinking. No one knew I was there, I was supposed to be all the way back in the village, and if the damn thing had taken away my chakra, maybe it could put it back. At the very least, I would take my sweet revenge by making sure its life was a living hell... And that's how I got you."

He stood still just looking at me for a minute. I had yet to stop shivering, but now I was also starting to feel queasy. The Nine-tails had ruined Jiro's life - I had ruined Jiro's life. I guess he had been right all along. I deserved everything he had ever done to me...

"You stupid little shit," he spat with a grim smile. "I thought it would be hard to make it work at first, I had no idea how the hell I was going to control a demon, but it was almost too easy. Once the ANBU let up the search for the Hokage's son inside the village, it was no trouble at all to keep you in line. You ate up every single lie I fed you, every beating, and still asked for more. You always followed all the rules I laid out without a question, except for one stupid, fucking little thing!"

He stalked closer and pulled me up until I was standing.

"You just couldn't keep away from the fucking Hokage, could you?"

He punched me in the stomach and my muscles instinctively told me to curl on myself to help me catch my breath, but Jiro would not let me. He brushed aside all my feeble attempts to resist and laid me down on top of the table. He tied all the straps around my wrists and ankles, then moved away to fetch the black cords, but he was not done talking.

"You'll never know how I felt every time I looked at you and remembered that the fucking demon who had ruined my life was sleeping under my roof, eating my food and calling himself by my last name! I wanted to puke and beat the crap out of you, but I held back and lived with it."

He was attaching the cords so they connected the leather binds holding me on the table to his own wrists and ankles. Finally, when he was done, he pulled out a kunai and cut the palm of his hand.

"Well, I'm done now. I was told this procedure could bring back my chakra, but I wasn't going to do it until you had learned better chakra control. It's supposed to work better then, but I won't risk meeting with the goddamn Hokage and having to explain just why I've had his son with me all this goddamn time! This is it, demon... say goodbye to your pitiful life!"

He slapped his hand against some mechanism that I could not see at the end of the table. The restraints started giving off a faint red glow and a light tickling sensation spread from them. I felt like they were gluing themselves to my skin to suck something out of me. That impression only grew and grew, though, until all of a sudden it was all out burning and my pained screams were mixing in with Jiro's.

I was sure I would not be able to hold on much longer. Sooner or later it would become too much for me to bear. Strangely enough, the only thing I could think of was Minato-sama. The one day I had gotten to spend with him had been the best in my life. I had gotten to try ramen - which I was sure had to be one of the most delicious things on the planet - and got to experience what it felt like to be held against a warm chest after having a bad dream. I even treasured the short time I had gotten to spend with Kushina, even if she did scare Kohana and me to bits, and I still didn't know whether she was okay with me or not.

I was happy that I had gotten to know what all those things felt like before I died. I was even happier to know that those memories had been given to me by my actual family.

_Kohana... Minato-sama... Kushina... Goodbye..._


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **_Yes, yes... I know that by now you all hate me for the cliffhangers, but who do you take me for? A nice author? Hah! *evil grin* Thank you for your continued support, everyone! ;)_

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**Chapter XI.**

The stars were shining above me. Somehow, I had the feeling they were there just for me.

They were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, so beautiful that I could not keep from crying even as I smiled at the precious sight. I knew exactly where I was - the park, where I had spent so many happy nights huddling with Kohana, whenever Jiro threw me out of the house.

I reached up as if to grab the stars. I had once overheard some of the girls in my class saying that stars had the power to make dreams come true, and if that were so each one of these had to be worth at least ten wishes! Every inch my arm reached higher, however, was an inch the sparkling dots moved away like fish in a pond. I tried to catch them a second and a third time, but they always slipped away faster than I could move. Confused and slightly frustrated, I abruptly lifted my other arm to pin at least one of them between my hands, but I missed... and then all the stars blinked out of existence.

I gasped in surprise and looked around to try to find out where they had gone to, but the sky was perfectly black. The only light now came from the yellow lamps scattered throughout the park.

The trees were still, there was not so much as a breeze to rustle their leaves, and there was no one in sight. The slides, which were usually overflowing with kids, were empty. The shadows of the maze were looking particularly creepy without anyone in it, and the swings...

"Kohana!"

The little red fox was lying down on one of the seats. Her head came up as she heard my shout and gave me one of her foxy imitations of a grin. I ran over and kneeled right in front of her.

"Hi, Sora! Beautiful night, isn't it? Look at all those stars!"

Surprised, I did just that and there they were, shining on the sky again. They were not as bright as before, though. These were just the average kind of stars.

"Hey, Sora," she continued after a moment, "wouldn't it be nice if we could spend every night like this? You could run away from Jiro's. I'd make sure you were okay! I do have my kitsune ability, remember?" Her voice turned lower then, sadder. "...And then you wouldn't have to get hurt ever again."

Her words strung a familiar chord inside me. I remembered that the two of us had had this conversation before, on a night very much like this one. The only difference was that I had been sitting on the swing next to her then. Following a sort of gut feeling that told me it was the right thing to do, I went over to the same place I had taken the first time this had happened and gave her the exact same reply.

"It would be nice... but what about you, Kohana? Don't you have a family to get back to?"

"Of course I do! But they're always with me, all around me. I don't need to see them to know they're there, and they don't need to see me to know I'm here."

Her answer was as confusing to me now as it had been the first time I'd heard it and my reaction must have been plain to see on my face too.

"They are always in my heart, giving me strength and courage, just as I am in theirs..." Then she completely dropped her profound look and burst out laughing. "Besides, I can hear and talk to them all the time through my connection with nature! You wouldn't believe how loud my older sisters get when they meet a cute reynard... or how loud my sire yells at them saying that there's no way they're getting a boyfriend yet!"

I laughed along, but inside me there was still the same sadness as always whenever I thought about family, or rather, how I would never be as lucky as Kohana. I lowered my head and focused intently on my hands. "Sounds nice..."

The fox was not fooled by the tone of my voice, or the way I avoided her gaze, and she took care to sound extra sympathetic next.

"Sora... don't be sad. I just know that if you keep believing in that wish with all your power, someday you'll have a family who loves you too. Wishes do come true, you know?"

"That's not true, Kohana," I answered, still not looking at her and instead going over my memories of this event. The next thing she would do would be to deny it and tell me a bedtime story she had heard from her father about how the forest spirits always kept an eye on those who were good and worthy.

"It is so! You and Minato-sama found each other, didn't you?"

I turned towards her so abruptly, my neck might have snapped. I was not expecting to hear that name here. "What did you say?"

"Minato-sama and Kushina are waiting for you... I am waiting for you... Why are you still here?" she asked. She was still in the exact same position I had found her, but the red of her fur seemed livelier. Her eyes were also brighter and begging me for something, but I was not sure what it was she wanted me to do.

"What...?" I said.

"Why did you leave us? Why? Why!... Come back, Sora!"

Kohana was soon sobbing. She kept whimpering the same thing over and over again: "don't go..." I hated seeing my friend that way so I got up and hugged her as closely as I could. She felt so tiny in my arms...

"I won't! I'll stay with you forever. Please stop crying...?" It was an infectious thing. Tears were springing from my eyes now too.

When she looked at me again, her eyes were glowing emerald green with kitsune magic.

"Promise?" she asked.

"Promise."

**o**

When I next opened my eyes, I was in a very different place. The first thing I saw was a pair of blue eyes looking at me from a relieved face. The second was a white muzzle and the attack of a pink tongue licking my face all over.

"Sora! Sora! You're okay! I'm so glad!" Kohana yelled right into my sensitive ear. I flinched and she immediately detached herself to stand over me as if to make sure she hadn't harmed me in her enthusiasm, eyes glowing with left-over magic. Truth be told, her little paws were sinking rather painfully into my stomach, but I wasn't about to let her know that. I was glad for her presence.

"What are you doing here, Kohana?" My mind was sluggishly catching up to the recent events. Even as I spoke, I remembered leaving her behind at the Hokage's house and then Jiro dragging me to an old, battered cottage in the middle of nowhere. "How did you find me?"

Before Kohana could say anything, I heard a huff nearby that I had already gotten to know quite well that morning.

"Kids... Don't you know anything? Like Jiraiya, the Gallant, wouldn't be able to track you down..." It was the same intimidating white-haired giant I had met at the Ninja Academy.

He was standing with his back to me, but had a yellowish frog atop his shoulder, peering at me. Jiraiya sounded angrier than when I had first met him, but surprisingly that did not make me nervous this time. The frog was making some faces that were too funny to take the man it sat on seriously. I also noticed that I was not the only one who had my eyes on him. Cowering in front of the big man, like an animal trapped against the corner, was Jiro.

"Yes, yes! And we got here just on time," the little frog agreed. "Can I have my reward now for getting Minato? Something sweet would be sooo nice..."

Hearing the name, I remembered that there was someone else in the room who had not yet spoken a word. I turned my head around to the other side of the room and found the same eyes that had greeted me when I had awoken from that strange memory-dream world with the moving stars. Minato-sama looked happy and relieved, but unsure of something. He was keeping his distance.

"Minato-sama..." It was all I could say. I was now certain that I was his son. That knowledge should change things for the better, I supposed, but somehow, it made it slightly awkward to face him. I wondered if he knew the truth too.

As if my words had jolted him into action, he bridged the distance separating us and took me into his arms. Kohana was saved from getting squished by her quick reflexes alone, as Minato-sama made no attempt to hold back. As for me, the sudden upright position made me a bit lightheaded, but I relished the feeling of being in such an embrace, my true father's embrace. All thoughts of awkwardness were gone as if they had never been.

"Maybe a little chocolate...?" the frog asked, breaking the moment.

Minato-sama chuckled. He pulled back to look at me in the eye and smoothed my hair.

"Found you."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **_Final chapter alert! You'll also find some crazy-long notes about the making of the fic at the bottom. Enjoy!_

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**Chapter XII.**

"What do you want to do to this guy, Minato?" Jiraiya's voice drew our attention.

My dad - and I couldn't believe that I was finally happy to call someone by that title - reluctantly shifted his gaze to where the white-haired giant had Jiro trapped against the wall. I only got a sneak peek at Minato-sama's expression as he turned away to face the pair, but his eyes were looking glacial. The little frog on Jiraiya's shoulder must have felt the same way because it shuddered and leapt away from that corner to join Kohana and me.

"Scary..." it whispered. I laid a hand on its head and wondered what would happen next.

"Lord Hokage... I have no words to-" Jiro was saying, when Minato-sama stepped close enough that their faces were inches away from each other. The man I had called "father" for most of my life quickly shut his mouth.

"How dare you speak to me?" The Fourth's voice was low, dangerous, and even though I knew the words were not meant for me, I could not help but have the same reaction as the little frog when I heard them. Still, I'd bet the chill that ran up my spine had nothing on what Jiro must have been feeling at the moment. "You call yourself a man? You have the gall to call yourself one of my ninja?... I'd tear you to pieces right here and now if I weren't the Hokage."

Each word was clearly enunciated, as cutting as a kunai, and Jiro was surely feeling the effects. I could see him trembling all the way from where I sat.

"Jiraiya, would you please take this low-life piece of scum from my presence and make sure he is thrown into the deepest and darkest prison cell you can find?"

"My pleasure, kiddo," Jiraiya said as he roughly pushed Jiro towards the cottage's only door. With a flick of his wrist, a loop of steel wire closed around Jiro's hands and, if the binding was tight enough that it was almost cutting into skin, the white-haired man chose to act as if he didn't see it.

I noticed the Fourth taking a deep breath as soon as Jiro was gone. A great weight lifted from my chest as well and I finally realised just how battered and sore I felt all over. The only things keeping me awake were the remnants of Kohana's borrowed energy and simple adrenaline. I was ready to collapse at any moment, but managed to hold on a bit longer after Minato-sama faced me once again. His face was grim and there were the shiny beginnings of tears in his eyes.

"I am so sorry I took so long to find you," he said to me. "I hope someday you can forgive me."

I was struck speechless, I had no idea what to say to that. All I wanted now was to forget about the years I had spent with Jiro. Somehow, some way, my greatest wish had come true: I had found my true family, and if that had happened, then anything was possible. I knew everything would be all right. My mouth opened to say as much, but no sound came out until Kohana nudged her head against my side in gentle prodding.

"I'm glad you did..." I said before the stress and exhaustion of everything that I had gone through caught up with me and the world started to blur at the edges. Minato-sama - my dad - put an arm around me and I clung to the security of his embrace as if nothing else existed beyond it. My head became lighter and lighter and, within seconds, I had passed out.

"I'm taking you home," was the last thing I heard.

**o**

"You're cute," the sound of an obnoxious voice broke through the sleepy haze enveloping my mind.

"You're a frog," another voice replied, female this time. It was familiar.

"Aww... can't I get even one kiss?" the first whined. The words were slowly starting to come together into sentences that made sense to my poor, abused head.

"Not on your life," was the answer, and the knowledge of who was talking suddenly clicked into place.

"Kaughh..." My body was as sleepy as my thoughts, unfortunately. I had meant to say "Kohana".

"Sora?" the little fox called. I tried to move my hand in the direction of the sound, but my limb was as unwilling to respond as my vocal chords. At least I got my eyes to open.

I was in a bedroom of burgundy walls, laid out in a comfy bed I immediately recognised as the one from the bedroom I had occupied at the Hokage's house. The curtains were pulled so the room was dark and I was thankful to whoever had thought to do that as my eyes were taking some time to adjust to even that much light.

"Sora!" A furry red blur jumped on top of me and started licking my face furiously. "Sora, Sora! You're awake! He's awake, everyone!"

"Him you kiss, but not me..." the first voice complained. "Minato, I want candy!" Looking beyond Kohana, I was able to see Jiraiya's funny yellow frog sitting on the bedspread with a pout on its lips and pudgy little arms crossed.

"Dad...?" I rasped. Was he there? A mop of blond hair entered my field of vision, answering that unspoken question, and soon a gentle hand was combing through my hair.

"Hey, there. Take it easy. You had chakra exhaustion, you've been out cold for a while."

"Sorry," I said, even though I didn't know what exactly I was apologising for. The chuckle that came my way made it worth it, though.

"Sora!" This time Kushina was the one who had spoken and, before I had so much as a chance to see where she was coming from, she had thrown herself at me and pulled me up into an asphyxiating hug. Well, not really asphyxiating, it was actually quite nice. "We were so worried, baby..."

Pressed against her bosom, I closed my eyes and relished the proximity. She is my mother!, I reminded myself. A mere week ago, who would have thought I'd ever get to say that about anyone? It was unbelievable.

"Mum... dad..." I said, out of a fancy to try using the words. Just the sound of them filled me with warmth.

"My baby..." the red-head called back without hesitation. "My heart almost broke when I realised you were gone yesterday! Why did you run away?"

I hid my face for a second, ashamed to admit that I had been eavesdropping on her conversation with Minato-sama, but now that she had mentioned it, it was hard to ignore the last traces of doubt that lingered of whether or not she would have me. Jiro's hateful words were still lodged deep within me. "I... I heard you talking. You said you were going to make me feel sorry I was ever born..."

"What?" She sounded scandalised, at least, a good sign for me. "I would never say that! Where did you hear that?"

"That morning, when you were with Minato-sama in your room. You said you were going to kill the demon..."

"The demon...?" Kushina looked like she really didn't know what I was talking about. Minato-sama, however, took note of the words I was using and chose that point to re-enter the conversation.

"She was referring to the man who took you from us, Sora. Is that what you think you are, though? A demon...?"

"It's the truth, isn't it?" I replied and even though I tried to keep the bitterness from my voice, it was still there. "You should know, you're the one who put the Nine-tails in me."

"Baby," Kushina cut in, "you're definitely not a demon! Like, you may have the Nine-tails locked away inside you, but that's not who you are. You're our son, Naruto Namikaze... well, or Sora, if you prefer that name."

I stared at her. I wasn't sure I understood her explanation, but I wanted to believe her, to believe that there was a difference between being the demon and the human that happened to hold it. After all the years of believing otherwise, though, it sounded almost too good to be true. It was another one of my impossible wishes, to be human just like everyone else. Tears came to my eyes and, in an attempt to stave them off, I chose to think of the second piece of information she had given me instead.

"Naruto..." I rolled the name off my tongue. "Hm, I like it. Can I really use it?"

"Yeah, it's a cool name!" Kohana piped in.

"But I'm still hungry..." the little frog moaned.

Minato-sama placed a hand on my head. "It was yours all along," he said with conviction.

I felt like the name reached some deep corner inside my heart that had been empty until now, strengthening my connection to these people. It was proof that I really did belong there, with them. Even before I knew who they were and before they knew who I was, "Naruto" had been there in their hearts. I would definitely use the name.

I grinned as Minato-sama ruffled my hair, then froze as I caught something in my peripheral vision.

"What happened to my hair?" I grabbed the longer tips and crossed my eyes until I could see the strands clearly, to make sure that I hadn't been imagining things. Nope, it was definitely blond. "Kohana, did you do something?"

The little fox shook her head, but she was smirking. "It was your pendant!"

"My..." I started to say, before instinct kicked in and I reached a hand towards my chest. There was nothing there... Despair washed over me. I'd lost my mother's pendant! I looked at Kushina with fear. Would she be mad? "I lost it... I'm sorry..."

My mother looked a little confused at the words, but told me to look at Minato-sama. Dangling from his hand was the pendant that had never left my neck, ever. I was relieved to see it, it was my most precious possession. I tried to grab it, but my father held up his other hand to stop me and instead turned the medallion around so that the strange writing was visible. Then he put it around his neck and his hair turned brown.

"Huh? What the..."

"The inscription is a seal that casts a low-level genjutsu on whoever wears the pendant," he explained. "It's pretty crude, but that's part of why it works so well. It uses so little energy that it's mostly undetectable to anyone who isn't paying attention. I assume that man gave you this?"

I was struck dumb. The one thing that I had taken every care not to lose was the very thing that had been keeping me hidden from my family? All the care that I had put into never taking it off, that was the very reason why the truth about my identity was hidden? "No, he... well, I thought that... I don't know where it came from... I always sort of... had it..." I finished miserably, feeling a little sick.

"It makes sense. After you went missing, we only knew to look for a blond baby, and then when you were old enough that other signs of your heritage started showing, we had already given up the search here in Konoha. As you grew bigger, the genjutsu stopped being strong enough to hide the marks on your cheeks... that was how I knew who you were from the moment I saw you outside the gates of the Academy."

The revelation had me reeling for a bit. "You... knew? All along?"

"Of course!" Kushina said, pulling me back towards her. "That morning you ran off, that pervert Jiraiya had just stopped by to deliver the results of a blood test we did to confirm it. There was really no need for it, though. I knew who you were too, as soon as you stepped foot in the house."

"Told you!" Kohana made her presence known.

"Croak?" the frog squeaked, not wanting to be left out, possibly in case any chocolates might be forthcoming.

Meanwhile, Minato-sama was taking off the pendant. His hair faded back to its natural colour as he smiled at the perfect picture of mother and son together at last.

"You're our son, Naruto. Bonds like that are stronger than distance. Even if we had never met that day at the Academy, we would have surely found our way back to each other in some other way. And even if you had looked completely different, we would still have known you, somehow... because we love you."

I had spent my life up until that point being afraid: afraid of the beatings, afraid of Jiro, afraid of what others might think if they found out I wasn't like them and, most of all, afraid of hoping for vain wishes to come true. But now they had, and the happiness I felt that those wishes had become reality was greater than anything I could have imagined.

My parents were right, I realised. Even now, as I looked into Kushina's eyes, I recognised her. She was familiar to me and had been even before I had known her in person. Her voice touched my heart and the depths of her eyes could have been reflections of my own. The warmth of her skin clung to mine and stayed there long after her touch was gone, and her arms felt like they could and would shelter me from all the evil in the world. There, I was safe. Minato-sama was no different. I remembered how I had idolised him and wanted to be just like him, even before I had any idea of what a ninja was. He had always been my hero and my role-model. I had been drawn to him by some inexplicable force originated at core of my being.

They were right. In my heart, I had known them all along. I had only forgotten about it. But now that I had found my way back to them, I was never letting them go again.

"I'm home."

**The End.**

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**Final A/N:**

_And here we are at the end of "Negai ga kanau" (Wishes do come true). Hopefully, it wasn't too corny. I'm not one to add long author's notes, but since this fic was written (read completed) under special circumstances, I hope you'll indulge me while I write a few words about the experience and give some answers to a few reviewers._

_(Psst...! Hit the back button. The words are not few at all!)_

_I was first introduced to "Negai ga kanau" as a reader, and as a reader I cheered whenever I saw that a new chapter was up and moaned when the scroll bar reached the bottom of a page. Every update was a surprise – who could guess what would happen to Naruto next? (He was named Naruto then, not Sora.) Not me, that was for sure! So when Soul-Kit524 (the original author) announced that she would no longer continue the story and that it was up for adoption, my hanging-on-the-edge-of-the-seat self said "no way! I need to know how this ends!"_

_Within five minutes, I was contacting her. I had to know. The trouble of writing everything down was nothing if only I could know that! As it turned out, she had no idea either and so it fell on me to figure out how everything was supposed to come together for the finale – how Naruto could go on to live a happily ever after while Jiro rotted in some dark, (preferably) dank hole. It was a difficult task on more than one account._

_At first, I had no idea. Every minute I spent editing Soul-Kit's chapters I wondered: should this happen? Should I bring that guy into the story? Will this end up leading the plot to a place that has nothing to do with Soul-Kit's original concept? It was nerve-wrecking to post Soul-Kit's chapters, knowing that I still had no idea what I would do after I ran out of those pre-written lovelies._

_I thought of having Orochimaru and Kabuto make an appearance as the ultimate baddies who then killed Jiro when he was no longer of use to them (it would be poetic in a way for Jiro to fall to someone who would do the same thing to him that he had done to Naruto, while Minato remained "pure", free from entangling himself in the mess that was Naruto's past), I thought of Madara wanting to keep Naruto under his control until he was prepared to extract the Kyuubi (though that didn't leave much of an argument for Naruto to still be in Konoha), I even thought of involving Iwa nin somewhere... (it's a sort of "thing" of mine to try to insert Iwa nin and their half skirts in every god-forsaken thing I write). In the end, though, I felt those outcomes deviated too much from the feel of the story that had been given to me._

_It was a story about Good, so I had to keep the Evil side as simple and contained as possible. I think of it in rather "Disney-ish" terms, really. The story had to be believable, but not realistic (the nitty gritty details of exactly what kind of effects Jiro's abuse would have on a child were not to be laid shockingly bare – in answer to a reviewer who mentioned this, Minato and Kushina will have plenty of opportunities to deal with Naruto's healing process after he moves in with them; please do write such a fic if the subject interests you, I'd be an avid reader!), and Naruto's innocence and the way dreams and wishes were so important to him (it's the title, duh!) were to be at centre stage. If I have succeeded in this but marginally, I will consider myself accomplished._

_I should say something about the POV. It was a source of trouble from day one to have to write a story entirely in Naruto's voice and from his point of view. (And I mean this quite literally. I still don't know what the grammatically correct verb tenses are for chapter one! If any grammar genius would be so kind as to enlighten me, I beg you... please do!) Naruto was privy to so little information about what was going on around him... He never knew that Minato was 95% sure that he was his son the moment he saw the whisker marks – or that the Hokage had run tests on his blood after his fainting episode – or that Jiraiya stopped by the house to deliver the results and that was why Kushina screamed in chapter 8 and he knew to follow Naruto to the Academy! I tried to hint at all these things (and others) throughout the narrative as I had no way to state them outright, so I hope that at least part of those efforts were noticed by the readers. (Regarding the first situation, I know for sure my hints went completely over everyone's heads, as 99% of your reviews then consisted of "when will Minato find out?" My answer: "uhh... he sort of... always knew...?")_

_Speaking of reviews, I've never had that many in my fics, so I have to say that you, dear readers, were absolutely wonderful in the support you gave me here. Your enthusiasm for this story was contagious! :) That said, there were also a handful of comments sent my way that did make me wonder if I shouldn't just abandon this project and leave it for someone more capable to finish (and I'm not referring to the lovely constructive criticism that a few left along the way, here). To be honest, I think the authors of some of these comments didn't even realise what they were saying, but in any case, my answer to them is: "I appreciate the honesty, but think before you type. You don't want to bite the hand that feeds you."_

_In conclusion: I hope that those who first read "Negai ga kanau" under Soul-Kit's account (and Soul-Kit, in case you ever read this) thought this a satisfactory ending and didn't find that it became an entirely different story half-way through. For those who read it for the first time after the story had been handed over to me, I just hope you enjoyed it._

_Thanks for reading, guys. You're all amazing people! ;)_


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